


Return to New York

by EbonySolcum



Category: Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (Movies)
Genre: F/M, newtina
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-11
Updated: 2019-07-05
Packaged: 2020-04-24 14:39:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 50
Words: 66,660
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19175371
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EbonySolcum/pseuds/EbonySolcum
Summary: Newt's travel ban was not in place until after his book was published and he was able to visit Tina in New York before then. They become close, very close, but then, when Newt isn't allowed to leave the country, he is unable to explain the mistake in an article about him. Their relationship falls apart and they don't see each other again until Newt finally tracks Tina down, in Paris.





	1. Letters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll be posting two chapters of this book every day since it's so long. 
> 
> If you're going to comment, please don't swear.

Tina Goldstein never received mail. When she did, it was always from MACUSA; the clean, inconspicuous envelope containing a neatly typewritten letter, stamped with the MACUSA seal. However, one December, that all changed.

The first letter had been a surprise. An owl had brought it, tapping on the glass of the window in the living room. Queenie was in the other room so Tina unlatched the window, pushing it open. The tawny owl fluttered in, landing on the back of the couch. Having shut the window, Tina turned back to the owl. It had a letter in its beak. Reaching forward, she took the letter from the bird.

Tina examined the envelope. She let out a quiet gasp. It was sealed with a seal of blue wax and the imprint in the wax once one she recognized. She had seen it once before, on the cover of a journal. It was a simple seal, composed of an 'N' and an 'S' entwined and enclosed in an elongated hexagon.

_Newt Scamander._

Tina shakily turned the envelope over. There, in the middle of the cream-colored paper, was her name and address, written in black ink. In the corner was another address, an address in London. She carefully broke the seal, tying her hardest not to damage the blue wax. Then she pulled out the letter and slowly unfolded it.

 

_Dear Tina,_

_I hope you don't mind me writing to you. I arrived in London last night and thought I should let you know. I'm not sure why though._

_My trip back was uneventful. My case stayed shut and nothing escaped. I've been working on adding extra enchantments to the case. It should be nearly impossible for anything to escape on its own. I've also fixed the latch so the case won't come open on its own anymore._

_I was glad to see that my house was still in one piece and that all my creatures were safe when I arrived. I didn't really think it wouldn't, my assistant, Bunty, is more than capable of taking care of my creatures, but it's always a relief to know that all my creatures are safe._

 

There was something different about the next paragraph, something about the handwriting. It was still Newt's but it seemed messier, almost unsure; as if Newt had been hesitant to write the next few words.

 

_I know it sounds strange since we hardly know each other and it's only been a few days since I left, but I've already started to miss you. You were one of my first real friends, the only others being Jacob and Queenie. I miss them too, of course, but think (and now the handwriting got even messier) that I may just miss you more than them._

_I'm really sorry if you don't want me to write to you. If you don't want to hear from me again, don't hesitate to tell me so and I promise I won't write._

_Sincerely,_  
_Newt_

____

Newt stared at the envelope in his hands.

_She replied_ , he thought. _She actually replied!_ Suddenly, he was nervous. _What if she only replied to tell me not to write again?_

Shaking these thoughts from his head, Newt slowly opened the envelope and pulled out the neatly folded sheet of paper. He carefully unfolded it and began to read.

 

_Dear Newt,_

_Of course, I'm not upset that you wrote to me. Why would I be? I'm glad to know you got home safely and that nothing escaped while you were on that ship. I'd hate if my first investigation now that I'm back as an Auror had been dealing with a No-maj ship full of magical creatures._

_You mentioned something about your house and creatures. Do you have even more creatures than the ones I saw in your case? Honestly, I wouldn't be surprised. I'm just surprised you never mentioned them. You also never mentioned this assistant of yours, Bunty._

_Nothing really worth mentioning has happened since you left. My job, so far, has been pretty boring, but only because I haven't been given a case of my own yet. I just have piles of paperwork to deal with. I've been stuck in my office all day and I'm still not done._

_Queenie is hovering over me as I write this. I may as well tell you what she's trying to get me to put in the letter since I know she won't leave me alone if I don't. She keeps insisting I ask what you're doing for Christmas and that I suggest you come here if you don't have any plans. I told her you probably do have something you're doing and that we shouldn't expect you to buy a ticket to come here just to see us but, of course, you're always welcome here._

_Now Queenie won't talk to me because I put her in the letter as the one who told me to invite you. But she just asked me to say hi to you for her so, Queenie says hi._

_I hope you and all your creatures are still doing well._

_Sincerely,_  
_Tina_

_P.S. I miss you too._

_P.P.S. And now Queenie is teasing me for having written that._

____

_Dear Tina,_

_I've very glad you received my letter and that you replied to it. I'm sorry your job isn't as exciting as you'd like but I'm sure you'll be given a case of your own soon. You're a very talented woman and you deserve recognition._

_To answer your question about my creatures, yes, I do have more creatures. I've enlarged the basement of my house to hold all of them. I even have a whole lake, just for my Kelpie. But I'm not going to bore you with pointless stories about my creatures since I think we both know I could talk about them forever. I know I never mentioned Bunty but that's because I don't really have much to say about her. She just helps me with my creatures, that's all._

_Please say hello to Queenie for me. And tell her that I don't have any plans for Christmas and I would be more than happy to join the two of you, but only if you really want me to come._

_Bunty is calling me to help with something so I have to go. I'd add more to this letter later but I'd really like to get it sent now so I'll just write more another time._

_Sincerely,_  
_Newt_

____

_Dear Newt,_

_I don't mind if you talk about your creatures. I know how much you love them. I actually enjoy hearing your stories about them and I'd love if you told more of them._

_Of course, we'd like you to come for Christmas. Queenie was very excited when she heard you'd be willing to come. It was nice to see her smiling. She almost never smiles anymore, you know, since Jacob was Obliviated._

_Since I know you're going to ask about Jacob, I'm just going to tell you now that, no, we don't know anything about him. I know you gave him those Occamy eggshells but we don't know if he's started his bakery yet. Queenie has been doing everything she can to find out but we're still not sure._

_Anyway, my pile of work just keeps getting bigger, no matter how much of it I do. I wish I had something interesting to tell you but I don't._

_I hope we'll see you soon._

_Sincerely,_  
_Tina_

 

Beneath Tina's signature was another note, this one in much fancier handwriting.

 

_Dear Newt,_

_I don't want to call my sister a liar, especially since what she said was essentially true. However, I will accuse her of not telling you the whole story. It is true that I was excited to hear you were coming but I was nowhere near as excited as Tina was. You should have seen her. She hasn't stopped smiling since your letter came and she's already thinking of a million things she'd like to do with you and say to you. She's also really nervous, and I'm sure you are too. I think she'd kill me if I told you how she really feels about you so I'm just going to tell you that she really misses you. She really, really misses you._

_Can't wait to see you again!_

_Love,_  
_Queenie_

____

_Dear Tina,_

_This is just a quick note to tell you that I will be arriving in New York at 5:00 on 23 December. Can't wait to see you._

_-Newt_


	2. Back to New York

Tina pulled a folded piece of paper out of her pocket. Smoothing it out on her desk she read it for the seventh time that afternoon. A shiver went down her spine.

_He's coming today_ , she thought. _He's actually coming today!_

Tina folded the note and shoved it back in her pocket. She knew she had work to do. She would be getting the next week and a half off, except for the 29th, so she knew she needed to get at least some of her work done. She wanted to leave early so she could be at the dock at 5:00 to meet Newt but, looking at the stack of papers on her desk, she knew she couldn't. She would have to wait until 5:00 before she could leave.

Reaching for her quill, she slowly began trying to get some work done. She managed to finish a few papers before 5:00 but not nearly as many as she normally would have done because her mind kept wandering to the note in her pocket and the man she would soon be seeing.

When the clock in her office finally struck 5:00, Tina scrambled to her feet and waved her wand, the papers on her desk organizing themselves slightly. Then she bolted from her office, quickly making her way to the elevator. One of her fellow Aurors, a man named Alton Harper, was already in the elevator.

"Hello, Goldstein," he said.

"Hello, Harper," she replied breathlessly.

Harper gave her a curious glance. "Where are you going?"

"To -- uh -- to meet a friend of mine."

"A friend?" Harper raised his eyebrows.

Tina swatted at him playfully.

"It's just someone I haven't seen in a few weeks and I didn't expect to see for quite some time," she explained.

"But it is a man."

Tina gave him a sideways look. "I never said that."

"Well, you clearly knew what I was implying and, if it wasn't a man, you would have said so instead of defending yourself," he pointed out.

Tina laughed. "Harper, you're impossible."

"But I'm right, aren't I?"

"Yes, you're right."

The elevator came to a halt and the door slid open.

"This is my stop," Harper said. "See you next year, Goldstein. Have a Happy New Year!"

"You too," Tina called as Harper left the elevator. The doors closed and they began moving again. When they stopped, Tina made her way out of MACUSA and found a hidden corner where she Disapparated.

 

Newt slowly made his way down the gangplank. He was one of the last people off the ship and the wharf was almost clear. Having made his way through customs, he looked around, searching for Tina. There were a few people still waiting, but none of them were her.

_What if she doesn't come? I know she invited me so maybe she just expects me to go straight to her apartment since I do know where she lives. . . . I had hoped she'd come meet me._ Newt shook himself slightly. _She's probably busy. She did say she always has quite a lot of paperwork to deal with._

Newt started forward, keeping his head down and gripping the handle of his case tightly. He bumped into a few people, murmuring apologies to each one of them. Eventually, he glanced up.

A figure appeared from around a corner at the end of the dock. Her dark hair framed her familiar face. A look of recognition formed on her features. She ran forward, flinging her arms around Newt. He started, then quickly set down his case and returned the hug.

Tina pulled away, blushing slightly. She didn't know why she had hugged Newt.

"I'm so sorry, Newt. I--" she started.

"It's okay, Tina," he interrupted, picking up his case. "It's good to see you again."

"It's good to see you too," she grinned.

"I was beginning to think you weren't coming," Newt admitted.

"I'm sorry I was late, Newt. I couldn't get off work until five but I don't have work tomorrow so we'll be able to spend time together." She glanced around. "Come on, let's go back to my apartment. We can't exactly talk freely here."

 

Queenie wasn't there when they reached the apartment. Tina had checked to make sure Mrs. Esposito wasn't going to see them. Then she had motioned for Newt to follow her up the stairs. The apartment had been quiet when they entered.

Newt glanced around the room. It was familiar to him now, though he had only stayed there a few days. The only difference was the small Christmas tree in the corner and a few other Christmas decorations around the room.

"Queenie and I made an extra room for you that way you won't have to sleep on the couch like you did last time," Tina said.

"I didn't mind that." Newt made his way over to the door Tina had just pushed open. It hadn't been there the last time and was in a rather awkward position. "The couch is quite comfortable."

Tina laughed and let Newt enter the room. There was a single bed in the room as well as a dresser and a closet. There was a window in the wall, though Newt suspected the view through it, as well as the window itself, was fake. It wouldn't have been physically possible to have a window there and, even if it was, it wouldn't have looked out onto the street. The wallpaper and the curtains were identical to the ones in the sisters' room. The cover on the bed was a deep blue with a simple pattern of a lighter blue, similar to the coat Newt was currently wearing.

"This is a lovely room," Newt said. 

"Queenie decorated it," Tina said. "I just made the room and the furniture."

Newt set his case down at the end of the bed. Then he joined Tina in the living room. She had pulled off her coat and hung it up. It wasn't the grey coat she had been wearing when they had first met but Newt still recognized it. It was the coat she had worn the last time he had seen her; a clean black coat with thin, white, vertical lines. 

Pulling off his own coat and scarf, Newt hung them up next to Tina's. She motioned for him to take a seat on the couch then moved over to the stove.

"Would you like some tea?" she asked. "I can't promise that it will be any good. I never make tea. Queenie's the one who's good at that sort of thing. Besides, it wouldn't be anything like anything you get in England."

"I'm sure anything you make will be lovely," Newt interrupted. Then he blushed, realizing what exactly he had said.

Tina blushed as well, quickly turning so Newt couldn't see. She nervously began preparing a cup of tea for Newt and a cup of coffee for herself. When she was finished, she carried both mugs over to where Newt sat on the couch. He took the mug of tea from her and she carefully sat down beside him. They sipped on their drinks in silence.

"This isn't bad," Newt said, offering Tina a smile. "I quite like it."

"Don't lie, Newt," Tina said, trying not to blush.

"I'm not. It's really quite good. Of course, I've had better, but this is really good."

Tina blushed again, sipping her coffee to hide her face.

_Mercy Lewis, Tina, what's gotten into you?_ she thought. _Why on earth do you keep blushing? Why does Newt make me blush so much?_

"Is that coffee?" Newt asked, presently.

"Yes."

"Could I try some?"

"What?" Tina looked up at him suddenly. "Have you never had coffee before?"

Newt looked down, slightly embarrassed. "I have. I haven't tried American coffee though."

Tina shrugged and handed Newt her mug. "You probably won't like this much. It's quite bitter since there's no sugar or cream in it but I like it like this."

Newt took a sip and made a face. Then he shrugged. "It isn't horrible," he said, handing the mug back to Tina. "It's not exactly something I'd choose to drink but I'm not surprised you like it."

Tina laughed. Then they sat back and began talking quietly. Newt asked her about her job and she told him what little there was to say about it. When she was done, she asked him about his creatures and he began telling her different stories about things that his different creatures had done.

They had been speaking for over an hour and Newt was halfway through a story about his Kelpie when the door opened and Queenie came in.

"Newt! It's so good to see you again!" she exclaimed. 

Newt got to his feet and Queenie pulled him into a hug.

"It's good to see you too," he replied.

Queenie grinned, but there was a sadness behind her smile that both Newt and Tina noticed. "I'll leave you two to talk," she said, making her way to the bedroom she shared with her sister. "We'll have supper soon." She entered the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Newt turned to Tina. "She's still upset?" he said gently, a hint of a question in his tone.

Tina nodded. "Very. She hides it well enough but she really misses Jacob. That's where she's been. She's trying to see if she can find him. Of course, she knows the address where he used to live, where we met him, she got that out of my head, but it seems he doesn't live there anymore. He's moved and Queenie's desperate to find where he is."

"I wish there was something I could do to help," Newt said, glancing in the direction of the bedroom.

"It's okay," Tina assured him. "I think that just your being here is enough."


	3. Christmas

Neither Tina nor Queenie had to go to work on Christmas Eve. They spent the day with Newt, simply talking about anything they wanted to. The next day was Christmas.

Newt woke up to a quiet tap on his door. He climbed out of bed and made his way over to the door, running a hand over his face. He slid the door open to reveal Tina, still in her pajamas. She grinned at him and he offered her a sleepy smile.

"I'm sorry, did I wake you up?" she asked.

"You did, as a matter of fact. And I don't believe you're particularly sorry about it," Newt chuckled.

Tina laughed. "No, I'm not. You slept in and it's Christmas. I'm going to go change now. Why don't you do the same?"

Newt nodded and she turned and left. He closed the door and quickly changed into his white shirt and brown pants. Then he joined Tina and Queenie in the kitchen. Queenie had prepared breakfast so the three of them sat down at the table and ate. When they finished the meal they moved over to the living room.

"Here, Newt," Queenie said. She handed him a small, rectangular package. "Merry Christmas."

Newt grinned. "Happy Christmas." He reached for a small box and handed it to her. Then he slowly unwrapped his present. It was a small notebook.

Queenie began to unwrap her present.

"I saw that in a shop a few days before I left England and I thought you might like it," Newt explained quickly. 

Tina looked over Queenie's shoulder to see what she had gotten. It was a necklace with a matching pair of earrings. They were definitely Queenie's style.

"Thank you, Newt," Queenie said. Then she turned to Tina. "Go on, open your present."

Tina slowly began to unwrap the package Queenie had handed her. She knew what it would be. Queenie always gave her clothes, usually dresses. Sure enough, it was a dress. She pulled it out carefully, the dark blue fabric slipping through her fingers.

"You know I'm not going to wear this," Tina said, blushing slightly.

"Yeah, you will," Queenie said. Then she unwrapped the box Tina had given her. Tina had bought her sister some perfume that she had been wanting for a while.

Newt slowly handed Tina a small, rectangular package. "I didn't know what to get you but I remembered how much you like to read so I decided to get you this."

Tina looked at him curiously then carefully unwrapped the present. It was a book, a book she hadn't read before, but a book she had been meaning to buy.

"Thank you, Newt," she said, handing him a package. She watched as he unwrapped it slowly. She had gotten him a box of stationery. There was a slightly fancy quill, a bottle of ebony ink, and a stack of paper with faint horizontal lines and his monogram stamped in the upper lefthand corner.

"I don't know how many letters you write," Tina said. "Besides the ones you write to me, of course. Anyway, I thought it might be nice to have some personalized paper to write on."

Newt looked up at her. Their eyes met and they stared at each other for several seconds. Then he finally managed to speak.

"Thank you, Tina," he said softly. "I love it. It will be very useful."

 

The rest of the day passed quickly. In the afternoon, they went out of the apartment and Apparated to a deserted pond. The ice there thick enough to skate on so that's what they did. All three of them were excellent skaters. Queenie danced across the ice with ease but Newt and Tina could move faster and were soon racing each other across the frozen water.

When they had decided they were too cold and too tired to continue, they went back to the apartment and Queenie made them hot cocoa. They drank it as they sat by the fire to warm themselves. Then Queenie made dinner and they ate together. After they had cleared the table, they went back to the living room and talked for several hours.

Eventually, they all went to their rooms to get ready for bed. Newt had just finished changing into his pajamas when there was a tap on the door. He called for whoever it was to come in. The door slid open and Queenie came in.

"I know you were hoping it was Tina," she said. "Teen's in bed though and I've got something I know you want. I'd have given it to you this morning but Teen'd probably have killed me."

"What is it?" Newt asked, curious.

Queenie stepped closer to him and handed him a small package. He glanced at her curiously before gently pulling the paper away. He studied what was in his hands. It was a silver picture frame, beautifully decorated, but the picture inside was what caught his attention. It was a picture of Tina. She smiled at him through the glass, her lips parting to reveal her straight, white teeth. She reached up and pushed a strand of hair out of her face before letting out a silent laugh.

"It was taken a while ago," Queenie explained. "Before she lost her job, back when she was happy. You know, after she was demoted, she never smiled until she met you."

Newt looked up. "Really?"

"Uh huh. And now, every time she smiles, it's not because of her job or anything, it's always because of you. Whenever she's smiling, as in really smiling, she's thinking about you."

Newt felt his cheeks grow warm. "Oh. Well, tha-- thank you, Queenie," he stammered.

"You're welcome. I know you wanted a picture of her for your case." Queenie spun around and left the room, sliding the door shut behind her.

Newt looked back down at the picture in his hands. Tina's smile grew as their eyes met.

_It's just a picture, Newt_ , he reminded himself. _She's not smiling because of you. She was happy when it was taken so she'll smile at anyone who looks at her._ But a small smile still crept onto his face. It was wonderful to see her smiling like that. _And I can see her smiling in real life too._

Newt quickly descended into his case. He made his way across the shed to the shelves by the door. He carefully set the picture frame on the shelf above the one where the picture of Leta sat. He ran a finger along the edge of the frame.

"Oh, Tina," he murmured. Then he went back up to his room and went to bed.


	4. Coffee and Tea

Tina sighed and ran her hand through her hair. MACUSA always needed a certain number of people there, especially Aurors, even during the holidays. It was even more important to have people there since they were holding Grindelwald prisoner. Nearly everyone was given about a week and a half off for Christmas and New Years but they had to come into work one day during that week. Tina had been assigned the 29th. She had been working steadily all morning, trying not to get too distracted by the thought of Newt.

Moving to set another finished paper on the much smaller stack of papers, she saw someone enter her office. She looked up.

"Newt!" she said. "What are you doing here?"

Newt blushed, staring down at his hands. He was fidgeting nervously. "I -- uh -- I . . . Queenie," he stammered.

"What?"

"Queenie sent me," he said.

Tina laughed. "Why am I not surprised? It's really nice to have you here but I do have work to do."

"I know, I'm not staying long."

There was a pause. "Why did Queenie send you here?" Tina asked.

"I -- uh --" Newt blushed even harder. "You see, I happened to think of something and before I could push the thought away Queenie was in my room telling me I had better get myself over to MACUSA and just do it."

"Do what?"

Newt's blush deepened again. "I thought I might ask if you wanted to go out to get something to drink once you came back from work. You know, like coffee, or something."

A smile tugged at the corners of Tina's mouth. "You don't like coffee," she pointed out.

"I know, I can always order tea."

There was a moment's pause. Newt glanced up at Tina only to look down again when he saw she was looking at him.

"So, would you like to?" he asked hesitantly.

Tina laughed. "Of course I would but I do have work to do first. Is it okay if I get back to that? I'll be done at five."

Newt nodded, letting out a sigh of relief. "Yeah, that's fine. I'll come back at five. I'm going now." With that, he turned and dashed from the room. As soon as he was out of sight, he slumped against the wall.

_She said yes! We're going on a date! Even if she doesn't see it that way we're going on our first date._

 

Tina had watched Newt make his escape with an amused expression on her face. She leaned back in her chair, still staring at the empty doorway.

_Newt just asked me out on a date!_ she realized. _He may not mean it that way but we're actually going on a date!_

Tearing her eyes away from the door, she tried to focus on her work. She grabbed another paper and quickly began filling it out as if the faster she worked the sooner she'd be able to leave. Time seemed to drag on slower than ever but Tina was slowly making progress through her stack of papers. When the clock finally struck 5:00, Tina quickly began putting the papers away. Newt reappeared in the doorway a few moments later.

"Are you done?" he asked nervously.

"Yes, of course." Tina grabbed her coat and pulled it on. "Let's go."

Newt nodded and led her out of MACUSA. They found a hidden corner and he offered her his hand. She took it and he Disapparated. They appeared in an alley in another part of New York. Newt offered Tina a small smile then led her out of the alley and along the street. They both realized they were still holding hands but neither of them wanted to let go.

Tina let Newt lead her to a small café on a quiet street. They ordered their drinks before finding a cozy seat near the window. Newt watched as Tina stared out into the street. It had begun snowing lightly, the white flakes drifting lazily through the dark sky.

"It's nice to have you here," she said presently.

"I like being here," Newt said. 

Tina paused. "I just realized, I don't know how long you're even staying."

"I leave on the second," Newt replied. "I sent my manuscript in to be edited before I left and I'll be getting it back soon after I reach England. Then I have to make any corrections I want and send it in to be edited again."

"I see," Tina said. Newt thought there had been something in her voice, a hint of sadness. Just then, a young waitress came over with their drinks. She set them on the table and he thanked her. Then he added some milk and sugar to his tea and stirred it slowly.

"Tina," he said. She had picked up her mug and was holding it in her hands to warm them. When he spoke, she looked up at him.

"Hmm."

"Tina, I'd like to visit you again sometime, if you'd be okay with that," he said, blushing slightly. "I don't usually enjoy being around people but I really love spending time with you."

Tina's face broke into a smile. "Of course, I'd love if you came to visit again." 

Newt smiled as well. He watched as Tina took a sip of her steaming coffee. She lowered her mug, setting it on the table. Her gaze had wandered to the window again. He hesitantly reached across the table and pushed her hair out of her face, tucking it behind her ear. They both blushed and picked up their mugs.

They sipped their drinks slowly. Eventually, they began talking again. Neither of them had been good at talking to people, they never knew what to say, but it was so easy to talk to each other. There always seemed to be something interesting to talk about and, even when there wasn't, they were perfectly content to sit in silence, just enjoying the thought of being together.

When they finished their drinks, Newt paid and they left the café. Tina slipped her arm through Newt's and they began walking. They quickly decided they didn't want to Apparate, choosing instead to walk back to the apartment, despite the fact it was already dark. Tina moved her arm to settle around Newt's waist. He was surprised but he instinctively rested his arm around her shoulders, holding her close.

They slowly made their way through the streets of New York. Tina was leading the way since Newt didn't know New York that well. They finally reached the apartment and quickly sneaked inside. Queenie greeted them the moment they entered the room.

"Hello, you two. How was your date?" she grinned.

Newt felt himself blush. Tina had also turned red and was scowling at her sister.

"Queenie," she snapped. "It wasn't a da--" She broke off suddenly when her sister started laughing.

"Teen, don't bother," Queenie giggled. "You're both calling it a date in your minds so why don't we just call it what it is?" She grinned at them. "Why don't we have some supper?"

 

Newt was about to go into his room to get ready for bed when Tina stopped him at his door.

"Newt," she said hesitantly.

"Yes?"

"Was that a date?" she asked.

Newt looked at her curiously. "Do you want it to be?"

"I -- Uh -- Well, yes, I think so," she stammered.

"So do I," he replied.

Tina hesitated. "Then does that mean we're dating?"

Newt offered her a smile and blushed slightly. "I hope so," he said. He seemed to hesitate. Then he quickly leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Tina's cheek. Before she could react, he had turned and vanished into his room, quickly sliding the door shut behind him. Tina was left staring at the wooden door, raising one hand up to touch the spot on her cheek where she could still feel the ghost of Newt's lips.


	5. Fireworks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I forgot to mention that things move very quickly at the beginning of this story. It might be considered a little bit too quick, considering this is Newt and Tina we're dealing with, but I need them to be at a certain point in their relationship by Newt's book signing which was March 19, 1927 . . . if I'm remembering correctly.

"Tina, please put on a scarf," Queenie begged. "It's cold and we'll be out there for a while."

"Queenie, I'll be fine," Tina insisted. "I don't like scarves."

Newt watched as the Goldstein sisters argued. He was sitting on the couch, a mug of tea in his hands. Eventually, Queenie let out a frustrated sigh. 

"Fine," she grumbled. "Don't come to me when you're freezing."

"Trust me, I won't," Tina said.

Queenie rolled her eyes as her sister made her way to their room. Then she turned and moved over to take a seat with Newt on the couch.

"We have this argument every year," she explained with a sigh. "Tina never wears a scarf and halfway through the night, she's freezing. She never says anything though and you wouldn't know it looking at her."

Newt shrugged. "I'll make sure she stays warm."

"I know you will," Queenie giggled. "You've got a very stubborn girlfriend."

"She's not my girlfriend," Newt mumbled, blushing furiously.

Queenie let out an exasperated groan. "Newt, you're dating. You decided that two days ago. If you're dating, she's your girlfriend."

Tina emerged from the room and made her way over to them.

"Okay, let's go," she said.

Queenie jumped to her feet. Newt quickly finished his tea then stood up as well.

They left the apartment and made their way to a nearby alley where they joined hands and Tina Disapparated. They appeared on the top of a tall building.

"This is the best place to watch the fireworks," Tina told Newt as she led him to the edge. There was a ledge a few feet away from the edge. She sat down on this and motioned for Newt to do the same. He sat down beside her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders.

Queenie crouched down behind them. "Have fun, you two. Have a Happy New Year. I'll see you next year."

"Wait, what?" Tina said, whipping her head around to look at her sister. Queenie giggled and Disapparated before Tina could say anything else. They saw her appear on the roof of the next building.

Tina got to her feet. "Come on," she groaned. "Let's go."

Newt tugged her back down. "She wants to leave us alone together. You know she'll just Disapparate again if we follow her."

"But it's New Year's Eve," Tina protested. "She shouldn't be alone tonight."

"I don't want her to be alone either," Newt assured her. "But at this point, it seems that it doesn't matter what we want. Maybe she wants to be alone."

"Why would she want to be alone?" Tina demanded.

"I don't know. Maybe she misses Jacob and being here with us is too painful for her," Newt suggested.

Tina sighed and rested her head on Newt's shoulder.

"Maybe," she murmured.

They sat on the rooftop in silence for several minutes. As time went on, Tina began shivering more and more.

"Are you cold?" Newt asked.

Tina shook her head.

"Tina," he said, mildly exasperated. 

"I'm fine, Newt," she insisted but her teeth were chattering.

Newt smiled and shook his head in amused annoyance. He tugged off his scarf and wrapped it around her neck before she could complain.

"Your sister was right," he said. "You should have brought a scarf."

"I don't like scarves," Tina mumbled. However, she didn't try to take the scarf off. Instead, she pulled it tighter and snuggled closer to Newt.

A few minutes later, the fireworks began. They shot up into the air, exploding in huge balls of colorful light above them. The sparks rained down like colorful rain. Newt and Tina watched the fireworks in silence, happy to be together.

The fireworks went on for a long time. Every now and then they would glance at the clock they could see from their spot on the roof. _Twenty minutes . . . ten minutes . . . seven minutes . . . four minutes . . . two minutes . . . one minute . . . forty seconds . . ._

Newt looked back at Tina. She was staring up at the fireworks, her dark hair framing her pale face. There was a small smile on her face and she looked peaceful and happy. She was beautiful.

"Can I kiss you?" Newt asked before he could stop himself.

Tina started. "What?" She stared at him, a startled expression on her face. She didn't think she had heard him correctly.

Newt blushed and glanced away, back at the clock.

_Thirty seconds . . ._

"Can I kiss you?" he repeated quietly, his blush intensifying.

Tina gasped quietly. Newt wanted to kiss her. Newt, the man she had been becoming so strangely close to, wanted to kiss her. And she wanted to kiss him.

_Twenty seconds . . ._

"Please," she said quietly.

Newt looked back up at her. "What?"

"Please," Tina repeated.

Newt leaned forward slightly. The fireworks above them lit up Tina's features. Their eyes fluttered shut and he moved forward slightly. 

Then he hesitated. His heart was pounding. He wanted to kiss her, he wanted to kiss her desperately, but he was afraid. He had never kissed anyone before, and this was Tina.

_Ten seconds . . ._

Tina realized that Newt had hesitated. She knew it wasn't because he didn't want to kiss her, that he was just afraid, so she leaned forward herself. 

Their lips met. The kiss was slow and hesitant. Neither of them had ever kissed anyone before. As they kissed, they heard the clock strike twelve. They broke apart at the sound of the last stroke of midnight.

They stared at each other, blushing slightly.

"Happy New Year," the breathed in unison. Then they laughed slightly and leaned in again.

Their next kiss was longer and less cautious. Newt moved one hand up to her hair, hesitantly pulling her closer. Their lips moved against each other slowly. They pulled apart a few moments later.

Newt pulled Tina into a hug. She rested her head against his chest and let out a happy sigh. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head, breathing in the scent of her hair. The fireworks above them were coming faster, filling the sky with beautiful light.

Eventually, Tina spoke.

"Do you have to leave?" she mumbled.

Newt sighed. "Yes," he murmured into her hair. "I do. But I'll come back as soon as I can, Tina, I promise. I don't want to leave yet."

"You promise?" she asked, looking up at him.

"I promise," he repeated.

They stared at each other, looking each other in the eye. They both smiled, both thinking the same thing, the same three words that they were still too afraid to say.

_I love you._


	6. Leaving

Newt and Tina had stayed on the roof until the fireworks slowed. Then they got to their feet and turned, walking away from the edge. Newt had placed his arm around Tina's shoulder and she had wrapped her arm around his waist. Queenie appeared in front of them suddenly and they jumped apart.

Queenie didn't say anything to them. All she did was raise her eyebrows and give them a knowing grin. Then she grabbed them and Disapparated. All three of them went to bed immediately and woke up late the next morning.

Both Newt and Tina were very quiet the next day. They had kissed, they had kissed twice, and now they weren't sure what to do. Neither of them regretted it, neither of them thought the other regretted it, but neither of them understood what was happening. Queenie didn't try to push them and they spent the first day of the year glancing shyly at each other.

When Queenie went to bed that night, Tina took a seat next to Newt on the couch. She curled up against him and opened her book. He recognized the book as the one he had given her for Christmas. Then he opened his own book and they sat there in silence each reading their respective books.

Eventually, Tina fell asleep, her book lying open on her chest, moving up and down with every breath. A small smile formed on Newt's lips. He bookmarked both his book and Tina's. Then he pulled out his wand and sent the books to the table. He leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of her head. She shifted slightly, mumbling something in her sleep. 

Newt carefully pushed her off him and got to his feet. Then he picked her up and carried her across the room. Her head rested on his shoulder, her hair tickling his jaw. He used his foot to push the doors to her room open and carefully stepped into the room. Queenie's gentle snoring was coming from the direction of her bed so Newt knew she was asleep. He slowly made his way over to Tina's bed are carefully laid her down on it. He gently tugged her covers out from under her. Then he pulled her slippers off her feet (she had changed into her pajamas before joining Newt on the couch) and pulled the blankets up to cover her.

The room was dark and all Newt could see was Tina's outline. He knelt down and pressed another kiss to her temple. She let out a gentle snore and Newt laughed quietly.

"I love you, Tina," he murmured. "I love you so much but I'm still too afraid to tell you while you're awake." 

He ran a finger along her cheek then got to his feet and left the room. He went back to his own room and quickly packed the few things that he had kept out of his case. His ship was leaving at 7:30 the next morning and he didn't want to worry about packing after he woke up. Then he changed and climbed into bed.

 

Newt and Tina walked hand in hand along the docks to his ship. They were still quiet, neither one sure what to say. When they reached the ship, they stopped and turned to each other. He offered her a small smile and she smiled back at him.

"I -- I'm going to miss you," Newt stammered.

"I'll miss you too," Tina replied. Unlike the last time he was leaving, she wasn't crying. It wasn't that she was happy to see him go, in fact, she was even more upset, but this time was different. This time, she knew he was coming back.

"Tina, I'll be coming back as soon as I can, if that's okay with you," he said awkwardly. "I'd really like to spend more time with you."

Tina laughed. "Of course, it's okay with me. We're dating, aren't we? What kind of a relationship would it be if we didn't want to see each other?"

The ship's horn sounded and Newt glanced behind him. Then he looked back at Tina. "I'll write to you when I get to London," he promised. 

She nodded and he pulled her into a hug. She hugged him back, breathing in his scent. He smelled of a mixture of outdoors and tea. She loved his smell and wanted to remember it forever. They pulled apart slowly and Newt turned to leave.

"Newt, wait," Tina called.

Newt stopped and turned to face her. She took a hesitant step forward. Then she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a kiss. He kissed her back, slipping his free arm around her waist. They pulled apart a moment later.

"Bye, Newt," Tina murmured.

"Goodbye, Tina," he replied. He pressed another kiss to her lips. Then he turned and quickly made his way to the gangplank. He walked up it to the ship. Stopping at the entrance, he turned and waved to Tina. She smiled slightly and waved back. Then Newt disappeared into the ship.

Tina turned and slowly walked along the dock. She missed Newt already but she knew he'd be back. He had promised he would be and she knew he'd keep his promise.


	7. Distracted

Newt set down his quill and leaned back in his chair. He had been working steadily since he had woken up, trying to make some progress before he had to take care of his creatures. He was working on his manuscript. He had been working on it for the last few days but was only in 'H'. He had to be very careful to correct all the mistakes and to make sure that the editor hadn't changed anything important. Glancing down at his ink-stained hand, he decided it was time to take a break. 

Slowly pushing himself to his feet, he made his way downstairs. The front door opened as he reached the living room and Bunty came in. She scooped up the letters that sat on the doormat and brought them into the house.

"Good morning, Newt," she said, handing him the letters. 

"Morning," he said. He wasn't really paying attention though. He was quickly going through the letters, looking for the one he wanted. He finally found it then broke the seal and pulled the letter out of the envelope. He unfolded it and devoured the contents. A small smile crept across his face as he read and he gently traced a finger over Tina's name. He loved her letters, and he loved her. He read the letter again. She had mentioned that she had finally been given a case. She was working with an Auror named Alton Harper. When Newt had first read that, he had felt a flash of protective jealousy, but Queenie had added a note to the bottom of the letter telling him that there was nothing between Tina and Harper, they weren't even on a first name basis.

"Who's that from?" Bunty asked. She had picked up one of the two newspapers and was beginning to open it. Newt always received two newspapers. One was _The Daily Prophet_ but the other was _The New York Ghost_. He had decided to receive _The New York Ghost_ because he wanted to know what was happening in New York. The paper always came a day late since it was from across the ocean but he still got it.

Newt looked up at Bunty. "It's from-- she's a friend of mine."

Bunty looked startled. She ducked her head and unfolded the newspaper. " _The New York Ghost_ ," she said. "I don't understand why you get this."

"Because I'm curious," he said.

His assistant was glancing at the newspaper so Newt went back to looking through his letters. Eventually, Bunty spoke.

"Grindelwald is going to be moved from MACUSA to Azkaban," she said. 

"What? Really?" Newt asked. "When?"

Bunty studied the paper. "The headline says **Grindelwald Extradition Date Confirmed**." She frowned slightly. "It says . . . May 30."

"That's a long ways away," Newt said.

"What if he escapes before then?" Bunty asked, a nervous tone to her voice.

"He won't," Newt assured her. "MACUSA is more than capable of holding him."

Bunty went back to looking at the paper then she spoke again. "Something's wrong with these Americans. I mean, how does the story of an Auror being reappointed end up on the front page right next to the article about Grindelwald?" she asked.

Newt started. "What?" He had gone back to looking through his letters but what she had said had caught his attention.

"Right here, on the front page," she said. "Here look."

Newt took the paper from her and glanced at the page. He gasped. There, right on the front page, was a picture of Tina. She smiled up at him and he couldn't help but smile back.

"Tina," he breathed.

"Tina?" Bunty asked. "That's not the name it--"

"No, she goes by Tina," he said. He read the headline: **Fearless Porpentina Goldstein (Re)Appointed as Auror**. His smile widened. _Fearless_ , he thought. _That's the perfect word to describe her. As well as beautiful, strong, stubborn, wonderful, loving, sweet . . ._ A blush formed on his cheeks as the list continued.

"You know her?" Bunty asked.

"Yes," Newt said. "She's the one who wrote the letter I was reading. She says I'm the one who helped her get her job back but I think she did that herself."

"How did she lose her job?" 

Newt was looking at the newspaper again so he answered without thinking. "She attacked a No-Maj."

"A what?" Bunty said perplexed.

"Oh, sorry," Newt stammered. "A Muggle. She was the leader of a group that wanted to expose the magical community and would beat the kids she had adopted. Tina wanted to protect one of the children. Anyway, a lot of people had to be Obliviated so she lost her job. MACUSA is a lot more strict than the Ministry is."

"How did she end up on the front page?" Bunty asked. "I mean, how does any Auror end up on the front page just for becoming an Auror?"

Newt scanned the article. "It's because she got her job back for helping capture Grindelwald. He was impersonating Percival Graves, the Director for Magical Security, and we captured and revealed him to be Grindelwald."

"We?" Bunty asked.

"Yes -- Uh -- I helped," Newt mumbled. He hid his face behind the newspaper. His eyes fell on a smaller headline below the picture of Tina: **President Picquery to Award Ms. Goldstein**. He smiled softly. _No one deserves that more than Tina_ , he thought. He studied her picture again. As Tina smiled up at him, he felt a wave of sadness wash over him. He missed her. He missed her desperately. He wanted to be with her, to hug her and hold her close. He wanted to kiss her again. He had never kissed anyone before her, but those few kisses had been the most wonderful things he had ever felt.

"Newt," Bunty called. He looked up. She was watching him worriedly. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine."

Bunty looked like she didn't believe him but she didn't ask him again. "Come on, let's go deal with the creatures and please try not to drift off again."

Newt nodded and followed his assistant into the basement. However, he knew he was probably going to drift off again. He had been doing that a lot recently. Every time he was working on anything, his mind would always drift off, settling on Tina.


	8. Back Again

Newt woke up strangely excited. He lay in the dark, trying to figure out why. Then he remembered.

_The ship arrives in New York today. I'm going to see Tina in a few hours._

He sat up and reached for his wand, using it to turn the lights on. Then he quickly changed into his usual clothes: brown pants and a clean, white shirt. He carefully folded up his pajamas and slipped them back into his case. Then he tugged on his mustard-colored vest and his jacket. He slipped his bowtie under the collar of his shirt and used magic to tie it. Then he snapped his case shut, checking to make sure it was still on the Muggle-Worthy setting, and pulled on his blue coat. Finally, he pulled on his shoes, tying the laces tightly.

Newt checked the room one last time. Satisfied that there was nothing left, he opened the door and stepped into the corridor. He made his way up to the dining hall and ordered himself a bite to eat. Then he took a seat on the deck and pulled out a book. He tried to read, but most of the time his mind had wandered to Tina.

_I can't wait to see her again_ , he thought. _She's so beautiful and I love her so much._

Time passed slowly but the ship finally reached the shore. Newt quickly descended the gangplank and made his way through customs. The customs officer asked to see his case so he set it on the counter. The man checked it then closed it, satisfied. Then he handed Newt's passport back and welcomed him to New York.

Newt nodded his thanks and took his case. He left the docks and found a quiet corner to Apparate from. It was the middle of the afternoon and Tina would be at work so he knew she couldn't come to meet him. He had been planning on going straight to the apartment but, as he prepared to Disapparate, he decided to surprise Tina. 

He Apparated to an alley near MACUSA. Then he quickly made his way to the building. He took the elevator down to her floor but he hesitated when he reached her office door.

Newt took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway. Tina was sitting in her chair, slumped over her desk. Her head rested on her arm which was stretched out on the desk. She was fast asleep. Papers were scattered across the desk, piled haphazardly on top of each other. A mug sat among the mess, half full of coffee.

A fond smile crept across Newt's face. He quietly moved around the desk, setting his case on the floor beside it. Then he leaned over her and gently pressed a kiss to her cheek. She mumbled something in her sleep and Newt thought he heard his name.

Resisting the urge to kiss her again, he rested his hand on her shoulder and gently shook her. Her eyes fluttered open and she blinked up at him sleepily. Then she seemed to register who he was. She jumped and scrambled to her feet.

"Newt," she breathed. 

Newt let out a laugh. Tina was standing in front of him, looking startled. There was an ink stain on one side of her nose and her hair was slightly disheveled. Then she had jumped forward and he pulled her into a hug. He held her tightly, breathing in her scent. At the moment she smelled like parchment, ink, and coffee but there was another smell, a smell that was distinctly Tina.

Tina was also breathing in Newt's scent. She buried her nose in Newt's shirt. This time, his smell was mingled with the smell of the sea.

"You smell like the ocean," she mumbled.

Newt chuckled. "I just got off a boat. I've been on the ocean for the last five days."

They pulled away and stared into each other's eyes. Newt reached up and ran his finger over the side of Tina's nose, wiping away the ink stain. Then she stepped forward again and pressed her lips to his. He sighed happily into the kiss, letting his arms settle around her waist and pulling her closer to him. She responded by slipping her arms around his neck, one hand making its way to the back of his head, running her fingers through his short hair. They kissed slowly, both of them still adapting to the feeling of someone's lips against theirs.

"I missed you," Newt said when they had pulled apart.

"I missed you too," Tina replied.

"Do you know how hard it was to get anything done when my mind keeps wandering to you?" Newt murmured, blushing slightly.

"Yes, I do," Tina answered. She blushed fiercely. "I might as well tell you since Queenie's probably going to when we get home. I'm nearly always thinking about you."

Newt blushed harder. He was studying Tina and she could tell he was trying to work up the courage to kiss her again.

"Mercy Lewis, Newt," she laughed. "Just kiss me. You know I won't mind. I kissed you, didn't I?"

Newt nodded sheepishly and leaned forward, kissing her gently. They kissed slowly for a minute before pulling away again. 

"Can we kiss more often?" Newt asked shyly.

Tina laughed softly. "Of course, we can, Newt. Last time I checked we were in a relationship."

She pressed a brief kiss to his lips before turning back to her desk.

"I need to get back to work," she mumbled, taking her seat.

"You were asleep when I came in," Newt pointed out. "I don't see how that was working."

"I was tired, okay?" Tina said, trying not to laugh. "I haven't gotten much sleep the last few nights because I've been working on this case."

"I suppose I should just go to the apartment then," Newt said, leaning over to pick up his case.

"No, you can stay," Tina insisted. "So long as you don't distract me."

Newt offered her a smile. "I can't make any promises."

Rolling her eyes, Tina indicated a chair. "Just sit."

Newt did as he was told and pulled out his book. He continued reading as Tina worked on her papers. Eventually, Tina glanced up and said, "You realize Queenie's gonna be teasing us when we get home."

"I know," Newt said. "But I don't care."

"Really?" she said.

Newt shrugged. Just then, someone entered the room.

"Hey, Goldstein," Harper called. "Did you finish that report?"

"Uh-- yeah," Tina said. She rummaged around the papers on her desk until she found the report she was looking for. She handed it to Harper. He turned and noticed Newt for the first time.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Uh -- Newt Scamander," Newt said. He got to his feet and offered his hand to Harper. 

Harper shook it. "I'm Alton Harper. I'm Tina's partner."

"I'm Tina's -- Uh. Tina's . . ." Newt faltered, unsure what to say.

"Boyfriend," Tina offered. "He's my boyfriend."

"Really?" Harper grinned. "You never told me you were dating."

"We're at work, Harper," Tina stated. "We've never talked about our personal lives."

"Yeah, true." He turned back to Newt. "Why haven't I seen you around before?"

Newt looked startled. He didn't like talking to new people. "I -- Uh -- I just got here. I live in London."

"I see." Harper grinned at both of them. "I'll see you later then." He left the room and Tina laughed slightly.

"The look on your face right now," she giggled.

"What?" Newt said.

"You're so clearly jealous."

Newt blushed. Tina stood up and moved over to wear Newt sat. She pulled him to his feet and rested her arms on his shoulders, around his neck.

"There's nothing between Harper and me," she assured him. "You're the one I've chosen to date, not him. Besides, he already has a girlfriend."

"How do you know?" Newt demanded. "You said you don't talk about your personal lives."

"I saw them together just yesterday," Tina said with a shrug.

Newt nodded in understanding then kissed her hesitantly. She smiled into the kiss but she still pulled away a moment later.

"I said no distracting me," she scolded, freeing herself from Newt's grasp.

"You're the one who got up and came over here," he protested as she dropped into her chair.

"Let's not be picky," Tina responded. She grabbed her quill and began working.

Newt laughed softly as he took his seat. He watched Tina working for a few moments before going back to his book.


	9. Salamander Eyes

Newt was down in his case, feeding his creatures. He had been in New York for a few days and was enjoying every minute he spent there. He wished he never had to leave but he knew that, eventually, he would.

When he finished the routine he did twice a day, he went back into his shed and rummaged around for a potion bottle. Tina's voice floated down into the case, calling his name, so he abandoned his search and quickly climbed up the ladder. She appeared in the doorway to his room.

"There you are," she said. "I just got off work."

Newt looked up at her. Despite the cheerful smile on her lips, she looked exhausted. It was late, nearly 8:00, and she had been working since 8:00 in the morning. As he studied her, he realized that she was nearly falling asleep on her feet. He scrambled out of the case and moved forward, pulling her into a hug.

"Why were you working so late?" Newt asked softly.

Tina mumbled something into his chest but Newt didn't catch what it was. He gently pushed her away, holding her at arm's length.

"What was that?" he asked.

"I've got a lot of work, Newt. I've still got so much work to do. I need to be doing it now."

"Now?" Newt asked. "No, you're eating supper now and then you're going to bed."

"Newt, I've got work. I have to do it."

"You've been working for twelve hours," he insisted. "Tell me, did you even have lunch?"

Tina's eyes dropped to the floor.

"You didn't, did you?"

She slowly shook her head. Newt sighed. He turned and moved back to his case, snapped it shut, and set it against the wall. Then he joined Tina in the doorway and pulled her to the table. Queenie had already laid food there so Newt sat her down and told her to eat. She picked up her fork without protest, too tired and hungry to complain. Newt took a seat beside her and waited for her to finish. Neither of them spoke until she had cleared her plate.

"You have a picture of me stuck to the lid of your case," Tina said as she set her fork on her plate.

Newt blushed slightly. He pulled out his wand and sent the dishes to the sink. "Yes, I -- I saw it in the paper a few weeks ago."

"But Queenie already gave you a picture of me. I've seen it in your case."

"Well, when I saw the picture, I realized that there's something about you that the picture doesn't show."

"And what is that?"

Newt blushed harder. "Your eyes. They're just like a Salamander's."

Tina started. "What?" she asked with a laugh.

"You can't see it in the paper but in real life, your eyes have this effect in them, Tina. It's like fire in water, dark water, and I've never seen that anywhere but in a Salamander's eyes. You're the only person whose eyes I've seen are like that."

Tina laughed again. She pulled Newt to her and kissed him.

"Only you would compare anyone's eyes to a Salamander's," she said fondly when they pulled apart.

"You're the only one whose eyes look like a Salamander's," he murmured, kissing her again.

"I need to work," Tina murmured.

"No, you don't," Newt replied firmly. "You've been working all day. From now on, all work stays at MACUSA."

"Then can we go down into the case?" she asked.

Newt studied her carefully. "You're not too tired?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "It's too early to go to bed."

"OK, then."

They climbed down into the case and wandered around aimlessly for several minutes. Then they stopped in the empty Thunderbird enclosure.

"Do you miss him?" Tina asked softly.

Newt nodded. "A bit, but I only had him so I could release him."

Tina smiled and Newt kissed her again.

"Can I tell you something?" he asked nervously.

Tina nodded and Newt took a deep breath.

"Iloveyou," he said very quickly.

"What?" she stammered, unable to make out the words.

"I love you," Newt repeated more slowly.

"You do?" Tina breathed.

"I love you," he said again, unsure what else to say.

Tina smiled and pulled Newt back into a kiss.

"I love you too," she replied between kisses. "I love you very much."


	10. Dedication

"Teen doesn't have to go to work today, Newt," Queenie said as she set breakfast on the table. "She's got the day off.'

"Queenie," Tina groaned. "I was going to go anyway. I've been so focused on one thing recently that I've been neglecting the rest of my work."

"I know you brought the work home," Queenie said. "If you absolutely have to get it done, you can work on it here . . . if Newt will let you."

Tina rolled her eyes and Queenie gave Newt a look that clearly meant that he shouldn't let her work. He nodded to show he understood. They ate breakfast, slowly. Then Queenie left for work. Tina pulled out several files and spread them on the table, determined to get some work done. However, a few moments later Newt came up behind her and gently took her quill from her hand.

"Newt," she groaned. "Give me my quill, please. I've got work to do."

"No way," he replied. He was leaning over her, his face inches from her ear. "I promised Queenie you'd relax today and that you wouldn't do any work."

"I hate you two so much right now," Tina said, suppressing a laugh.

"Do you?" Newt challenged. He pulled Tina out of her chair and into a tight hug dropping her quill on the table.

"Yes," she laughed.

"Really?" Newt said. Leaning forward, he captured her lips with his. They had kissed many times before, usually very slowly and shyly. Their kisses had gotten more confident recently as they had gotten more comfortable with each other. However, they had never shared a kiss like this before. 

Newt moved one hand up to Tina's head, tangling his fingers in her silky hair. His other hand settled on the small of her back, pulling her closer to him. He tilted her head slightly and deepened the kiss. When Tina had recovered from her surprise, she wrapped her own arms around his neck. She melted into the kiss, letting Newt pull her even closer to him then she had ever been. Kissing him felt wonderful. She had never kissed anyone before Newt but she suspected that, if she kissed anyone else, it would never feel like this.

They kissed for several minutes before they had to break apart, gasping for air. They rested their foreheads against each other's, waiting for their breathing to steady. 

"Do you still hate me?" Newt asked with a smirk.

"No," Tina admitted. "I don't."

"That's good," Newt said. "Because I love you."

"I love you too," she breathed. 

They pulled apart and Newt leaned against the table. "So, what do you want to do today?" he asked.

Tina sat back down in her chair. "I'd like to work," she started.

"That's not an option."

"I know," she sighed. "You're impossible."

"I'm not the one trying to work on my day off," he said. "Why don't we go for a walk?"

"Sure, why not?" she said. 

They pulled on their coats and left the apartment. Then they began walking arm in arm through the streets of New York. They talked quietly and Tina took the opportunity to show Newt more of the city. Eventually, they decided that they were too cold to continue so they slipped into a nearby café and ordered drinks. They got Tina's coffee and Newt's tea and took a seat in a corner. There was a bench along the wall, wrapping the corner. They both sat on the bench, one on each side of the corner. They were facing each other slightly, their knees touching. 

Tina took her steaming mug in her hands and sipped at the warm, bitter liquid. She liked it black, with no milk or sugar. She watched as Newt put cream and sugar in his tea, stirring it thoughtfully. Then he picked the cup up and sipped at it.

"I think prefer Queenie's tea," he said. 

Tina laughed. "At least this is better than mine."

Newt took another sip, a thoughtful look on his face. "No, I like yours better too. Your tea is really good as well. You've learned how to make a very good cup of tea since I first came to visit."

Tina blushed slightly and took another sip of her coffee. She watched as Newt sipped his tea.

"We're so different," she laughed. "I like coffee you like tea. I don't like milk and sugar in my coffee, you like it in your tea."

"And I love everything about you," Newt mumbled, hiding his face in his cup.

Tina laughed and took another sip of her coffee. Then she set down her mug and stared out the window. "I love you too, Newt."

They finished their drinks and left the café, finding a hidden corner to Apparate from. When then entered the apartment, Tina saw an envelope in front of the door. She picked it up and turned it over, trying to see who it was for. It was addressed to Newt. 

"There's a letter for you, Newt," she said.

Newt hung up his coat and took the letter from her. She pulled off her own coat, watching as Newt opened the envelope.

"Who's it from?" she asked.

Newt scanned the contents of the letter. "Uh -- the publishing company. They want to know if I'm putting a dedication in my book."

"Are you?"

"Yes, but I need to write it."

"Who are you dedicating it to?" Tina asked.

Newt grinned at her. "You'll see." He turned and vanished into his room. He came out a few moments later with a clean sheet of parchment and a quill. He sat down at the table and began writing. Tina took a seat across from him and tried to read what he was writing.

"Hey," he called, laughing slightly. "Don't you dare." He covered the paper with his arm and continued writing, glancing up playfully to see if she was still watching him. She was.

Tina leaned back in her chair, watching as Newt wrote. He finally set down his quill and picked up the parchment, reading through it to make sure there were no mistakes.

"How come I'm not allowed to work today but you are?" Tina demanded.

"Because I haven't been working myself to death the last few days," Newt said. 

He ran his gaze over the paper again before handing it to her. She took it and read it.

 

_This book is dedicated to four people._

_Bunty, for all the help she gave me with my creatures while I was traveling to research my book. I wouldn't have been able to travel so freely without you._

_Jacob, for being a great friend and for helping me while in New York. I hope you're able to fulfill your dreams of owning a bakery and I wish you could remember us._

_Queenie, for understanding me and supporting me as I struggled to make new friends. You're the only person who really knows who I am as you know me better than I do._

_And finally, to Tina, without whom none of this would exist. You've captivated my attention in ways nothing else has. We went through so much together in only our first two days of knowing each other. You gave me the title for this book, even though you didn't know I needed one. I wish we didn't live so far apart because I could spend every second of my life with you if I had the chance. I love you so much and I hope you never doubt that._

 

Tina looked up at Newt. He was watching her carefully, a faint blush on his cheeks.

"You're actually putting this in your book?" she asked.

Newt nodded shyly. Tina got to her feet and quickly made her way around the table. She dragged Newt to his feet and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"I love you so much, Newt," she breathed. She reached across the table for the paper and read it again. "What do you mean, I gave you the title for your book?"

"I didn't have a title yet and you called it _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_. That's the perfect name," Newt explained. "I hope you don't mind."

Tina shook her head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, here's the deal. I'm leaving the country tonight and I'll be in Romania for a week and then Scotland for about a week, I think. (We're going to Scotland for Harry Potter places!) Anyway, that means I might not always be able to post the same time every day, or even at all some days. After that, I'll be in the States and I'll probably be traveling around so I don't know if I'll always be able to post the same time. Also, the time I post may change because of the timezone change. I'll do my best to keep it the same though.
> 
> . . . Except that would be at six in the morning in Maryland and I'll probably be sleeping at that time.


	11. Promise Made

Newt's ship was leaving early in the morning. Queenie had prepared him a quick breakfast, grinned at him and Tina, said a quick goodbye, and went back to bed. He finished his breakfast. Then he and Tina pulled on their coats and left the apartment, finding an alley to Apparate towards the docks.

"I wish you didn't have to leave," Tina said as they made their way along the wharf.

"I do too," Newt assured her. They were walking side by side, Tina's arm around Newt's waist, his arm around her shoulders. It was a comfortable position for them, one they entered without thinking. "But I've got work to do."

They came to a stop near the ship. 

"Why do you have to live in London?" Tina demanded.

"Because that's where I grew up and that's where I'm having my book published," Newt said.

Tina let out a frustrated sigh. "I hate this. I miss you so much when you're gone. I've gotten so used to having you around and being close to you."

Newt smiled sadly and pulled her into a hug. "I don't like this either but I promise I'll be back."

"Really?" she asked.

"Of course," Newt murmured. "All I have to do is edit my manuscript one last time and send it back in. I'll be back in New York a few days after Valentine's day."

"You promise?"

Newt nodded. "I promise." He pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. "I love you so much, Tina." 

"I love you too."

They kissed again, not caring that they were standing on a crowded dock. They were brought back to reality as the ship's horn sounded. They pulled apart slowly.

"I love you, Tina," Newt murmured. "I'll see you in a few weeks."

Tina nodded and Newt turned. He quickly made his way up the gangplank, vanishing into the ship. 

Staring after him, Tina stifled a yawn and slowly made her way to a hidden corner where she could Apparate home. When she entered the apartment, she quickly made her way to the room she shared with her sister and dropped into bed, not bothering to change back into her pajamas. She kicked off her shoes and tugged her blankets over herself, falling asleep instantly.

 

Tina sighed as she set another paper in front of her. She stared at it, rolling her quill between her thumb and forefinger. Letting out a sigh, she ran her free hand through her hair.

Harper came into the room. "I'm here for the file, Goldstein," he said. "Is it ready?"

"Uh, no," Tina said. "Sorry. I should deal with that." She rummaged around until she found the folder she wanted. Flipping it open, she stared at the first paper but her gaze was unfocused.

"You're distracted," Harper pointed out.

Tina blinked, her eyes coming into focus. "Sorry. I just--" She stopped abruptly.

"Where's your boyfriend?" Harper asked.

Tina laughed. "Why do you care?"

"It's just so incredible to think that you actually have a boyfriend," he explained. "I've known you for years, Goldstein, and you've never dated anyone."

"How would you know, Harper?"

"I've never seen you with anyone," he replied. "So, where's your boyfriend?"

"On his way back to England," Tina replied. "He's got work to do."

"So that's why you're so distracted."

Tina sighed. "Maybe it is but now you're the one who's distracting me." She laughed. "Get out Harper so I can deal with the file. Come back in fifteen to twenty minutes and it should be done."

Harper grinned and left the room. Tina rolled her eyes and slowly started working on the papers in front of her.

_Newt will be back soon enough_ , she reminded herself. _He promised._


	12. More Letters

_Dear Tina,_

_I arrived in London yesterday afternoon and my received my manuscript this morning. I would have written yesterday but I was too tired. The good news is, there isn't much work I have to do on the manuscript so I should be able to get it done quickly._

_I'll write to you more another time, this is just a quick note to let you know I arrived safely. I love you and I miss you very much._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

____

_Dear Newt,_

_I'm so sorry it took me so long write back to you but I'm literally drowning in an ocean of paperwork. I've only just found the time to sit down and write a letter. I really miss you too. I miss not being able to see you when I get home. I miss being close to you. I miss our kisses._

_Queenie still hasn't been able to find Jacob. She won't admit it but she gets more upset every day. She misses him so much and I think that seeing us together only makes her more lonely. It really hurts to see her in so much pain. Especially since she tries to hide it._

_Work is getting really stressful. There's so much paperwork. I am getting to go on a mission in a few days though so I won't be able to write while I am._

_I need to keep working._

_I love you._

_Love,_  
_Tina_

____

_Dear Tina,_

_Since you didn't mention what date your mission starts, I don't know if this letter will reach you before you leave. If it does then please remember to be careful. I don't want anything happening to you. I don't know what I would do if you got hurt. I love you so much and I can't stand the thought of living without you._

_For some reason, I haven't seemed to make much progress on my manuscript. I'm not sure why. I hope I start making more progress soon or I might not be able to return as quickly as I wanted to._

The letter went on to describe several stories about Newt's creatures.

_I just realized I've been rambling. I'm sorry._

_I miss you, Tina. I love you, please stay safe._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

____

_Dear Newt,_

_I just received your letter and leaving for my mission in an hour. I can't write a lot though because I need to get ready to leave._

_I don't mind when you talk about your creatures. Don't try to stop. I've got to go now. I promise I'll be careful. I'll write to you when I'm back. That should be in about a week. I love you and I miss you too._

_Love,_  
_Tina_

____

_Dear Newt,_

_I got back yesterday. I know it's later than I said but there were complications. The mission was a success in the end._

Then there was a detailed summary of what exactly she had done on the mission.

_If only I had the motivation to put so much detail in my report. Speaking of which, I should really be writing that right now. I love you and I told you I'd be safe. I miss you._

_Love,_  
_Tina_

____

_Dear Newt,_

_Tina won't tell you this but she came home with an injured shoulder and a long cut on her back. She's been healed but she's been given three days off work to recover, on top of the one day she gets off for having just gone on a mission. I don't think I need to tell you that she went to work today and will be tomorrow and the day after that. She won't listen to me and I'm afraid she's going to overwork herself. She's still in pain from the cut on her back but she won't admit it. Between that and the amount of time she spent at work today, she's exhausted and it's only going to get worse._

_Love,_  
_Queenie_

____

_Dear Tina,_

_I'm glad you made it home in one piece but Queenie tells me that you were injured. I wish you would just tell me these things. What happened to you? How was your shoulder injured? How deep was the cut? Please just tell me because, if you don't, I'm going to ask Queenie and I know she'll tell me._

_Queenie also told me that you've been going to work, even though you've got time off. Please, please don't overwork yourself. It's not healthy. You were given time to heal and you didn't take it. If you keep doing this, you're only going to hurt yourself. I don't want that to happen, Tina._

_I'm nearly done with my manuscript. I've only got a few more pages to edit. I'll be purchasing a ticket soon, maybe tomorrow, and I'll be on my way to New York soon. I'm not sure exactly when I'll arrive. I'll tell you once I've found out._

_I need to go feed my creatures._

_I miss you, Tina. I love you so much, please take care of yourself._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

____

_Dear Newt,_

_Queenie had no right to tell you that I was injured. I wasn't hurt that badly. As I mentioned, we got into a bit of a fight at the end of the mission. Something hit my shoulder and dislocated it but it's fine. I don't know how deep the cut was. It was on my back. I don't remember exactly how I got it. If you don't believe me, you can ask Queenie and she'll tell you._

_I'm not overworking myself but I do have a lot of work to do. My work is important and I have to get it done, even if it means not getting enough sleep. You should understand what it's like to have work that you might have to sacrifice your sleep for. When one of your creatures is sick then you'd be up all night taking care of it, wouldn't you?_

_Queenie's calling me to eat supper so I need to go. I know I could just add more to this letter afterward but I've got things to do._

_I love you Newt. I miss you and I can't wait to see you again._

_Love,_  
_Tina_

____

_Dear Tina,_

_I got my ticket this morning. I'll be arriving at 2:10 on the morning of 17 February. I know it's very early. Don't bother coming to pick me up. I'll just let myself in._

_I know it's not Valentine's day yet but I'll be on the ship when it is and I won't be able to say this then so Happy Valentines Day. I love you, Tina. You're the first woman I've ever loved and I'm so happy to have you in my life. I'm so lucky to have you and I love everything about you. I love your smile, your eyes, your sense of humor; I even love how stubborn you are. You're a beautiful woman, even if you don't think you are, and I'm so glad I met you in New York, even if that meant being arrested._

_I miss you, Tina. I can't wait to see you again._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why is it that the one time I'm in a hurry is the time I get the chapter that is almost entirely italics? This took forever!
> 
> Well, at least my parents aren't here yet so we don't have to go anywhere. (I'm sitting in the airport in London with my brother, waiting for my parents who went to go buy food.)


	13. Promise Kept

Tina woke up with a start. Papers were scattered around her on the dining room table, covering nearly every inch of the surface. A mug, partially filled with lukewarm coffee sat among them. She glanced at the time. The clock's chime was what had woken her up. It was 2:00. 

_Newt arrives in ten minutes_ , she thought sleepily. Glancing at the mess around her, she decided that she might as well go meet him since she wasn't asleep anyway. She grabbed her mug and quickly downed the remaining coffee. Then she tugged on her coat and left the house. 

 

Newt rubbed his eyes and stifled a yawn as he slowly made his way down the gangplank. He stumbled through customs then began to make his way along the wharf.

"Newt!" 

Newt started. He looked up to find who had said his name. Tina was running towards him. He set his case down just as she reached him and pulled her into a hug. He picked her up and spun her in a circle. Then he set her down again and kissed her. They kissed deeply, their fingers tangling in each other's hair.

Finally remembering where they were, they broke apart, blushing fiercely.

"You taste like coffee," Newt observed shyly.

"Well, that was the last thing I drank," Tina replied, she pressed another short kiss to his lips.

"Maybe we should save that for when we get home," he murmured, picking up his case.

Tina nodded, taking Newt's free hand. She led him to a corner and Disapparated.

"I missed you," she murmured as they made their way to the apartment.

"Clearly," Newt chuckled. "You're up at two in the morning just to see me."

Tina shrugged. "I was already awake."

Newt glanced at her curiously but didn't say anything.

They quietly slipped up the stairs and into the apartment. As soon as the door closed behind them, Tina grabbed Newt by his coat collar and pulled him into a kiss. He gave a quiet laugh of surprise before returning the kiss. He let his case fall to the floor and wrapped his arms around her waist. Trying to take a step forward to close the tiny gap between them, he stumbled slightly, causing her to take a step back. She felt her back hit the wooden door so she pulled Newt closer to him. One of her hands slipped under his coat and jacket, clutching the fabric of the back of his waistcoat. Her other hand moved from the collar of his coat to the back of his head. 

Newt moved closer to her, trapping her between him and the door. She couldn't move and it was almost impossible to breathe but she didn't mind. He moved one hand up to her head, tangling his fingers in her hair. Pulling her head away from the door, he tilted it slightly to deepen the kiss. 

Eventually, they broke apart, gasping for air. Newt began to move away but Tina pulled him back, burying her face in his neck.

"I love you," she panted.

A smile tugged on Newt's lips. "I love you too."

They stood together in silence for several minutes. When their breathing had finally steadied, they moved apart with a reluctant sigh. Newt picked up his case and turned into the room. The first thing he noticed was the table. It was still covered in papers and files, strewn haphazardly along the tabletop. 

"Tina, tell me the truth," Newt groaned. "Were you working this whole time?"

"No -- Uh -- I--"

"Tina . . ." Newt warned. "The truth."

"I did fall asleep at about 1:20."

Newt sighed. "Go to bed now," he said gently. "I'll clean this up and we'll talk in the morning."

"Newt, I--"

"Please, Tina," Newt begged, placing a hand on each of her shoulders and holding her at arm's length. "Do this for me."

Sighing, she dropped her gaze to the floor and nodded once.

"Thank you," Newt murmured. He pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Good night."

"G'night," Tina mumbled sleepily. Newt watched as she entered her room, closing the door behind her. Then he pulled out his wand and pointed it at the table. The papers and files flew up into the air, organizing themselves into neat piles. He entered his room and quickly changed before going to bed.

 

Newt woke up shortly before eight. He changed and left the room. Queenie was moving around, setting a plate of food on the table.

"Good morning, Queenie," he greeted.

"Morning," she grinned. She was speaking softly though. "Teen's still asleep. I don't want to wake her yet. I'm gonna tell her supervisor that she's not coming to work today. They won't complain since she technically has those four days off that she didn't take. Not to mention all the other days off she didn't take. She's not gonna like this but you're gonna make sure she stays here."

"That's not going to be easy," Newt observed. "Tina's very stubborn."

"I know but I'm sure you'll manage," Queenie smirked. "She's got all those papers here. She can work on them so long as she doesn't go to the office." She pulled on her coat and pulled open the door. "Oh, and make sure she eats."

Newt nodded and Queenie left. He sat down and ate his breakfast then moved to the couch to read. Tina didn't wake up until after 10:00. Then, a few minutes before 10:30, her door slid open suddenly and she rushed across the room, yanked her coat off the coat hook, and tried to tug the door open. When it didn't open, she hit it in frustration before digging in her pocket for her wand. By now, Newt had gotten to his feet and moved to stand in between Tina and the door.

"Newt, help me open the door, I'm late. Queenie let me sleep in," she said, a hint of panic in her voice.

"No, Tina. Queenie said you're not allowed to go to work today," Newt said gently.

"Cut it out, Newt. I have to go."

"You're not going."

"You can't stop me."

"I can't," Newt agreed. He stepped away and pointed his wand at the door, unlocking it. "But I do hope you'll stay. You've been working yourself far too hard and it's not healthy. You need to take a break. Queenie said you can work on the papers you've got here as long as you don't go to MACUSA."

Tina had pulled the door open and stepped into the hall as Newt spoke but she hesitated. 

"Besides, I've missed you and I'd like to be able to spend time with you today," he continued.

Tina turned slowly. 

"I'm sorry, Newt," she said. "You're right." She came back and pulled him into a hug. "I'll stay."

They came back into the apartment, closing the door behind them. Tina pulled out her paperwork and began working on it. Newt took a seat at the table with her and continued reading. When it was lunchtime, Newt prepared some food and they ate it together. After that, he made her a cup of coffee and she went back to work. Eventually, he went into his room and down into his case. He rummaged around until he found the two things he was looking for.

"Tina," he called, climbing out of his case. He heard her say something in reply but he couldn't make out the words. "Tina, could you come for a second?"

There was the sound of the chair legs scraping across the floor and Tina appeared in the doorway.

"Yeah," she said.

"I -- Uh -- I got something for you," he said. "I know Valentine's Day was a few days ago but I was on a boat then so I couldn't send you anything." He pulled a heart-shaped box out from behind him and handed it to her. "I hope you like it."

Tina peaked inside the box to see an assortment of chocolates. She let out a laugh. "Of course I do, Newt," she said. She set the box on his dresser and pulled him into a hug.

"I've got something else for you," he said after a brief kiss.

"Really?"

"Yes. Close your eyes."

Tina looked at him suspiciously. "Why?"

"Don't you trust me?" Newt asked, acting hurt.

"Of course I do," she replied, closing her eyes. She heard the slight rustle of tissue paper and Newt's footsteps moving behind her. She felt something cold settle under her collarbone and Newt's fingers brushing over the back of her neck.

"You can open your eyes now," he murmured.

Tina did and glanced into Newt's mirror. He had fastened a thin, gold chain around her neck. There was nothing hanging from it and it sat just below her collarbone. It was simple but she loved it.

"Thank you, Newt," she said, turning back to him and kissing him again. "I'm so glad you're back."

"So am I, Tina," Newt murmured. "So am I."


	14. Unexpected

Tina didn't go to work for the first two days of Newt's visit. However, she returned on the third day. Work went on slowly but she left on time each day, not taking any of her work home. Queenie and Newt had decided she wasn't allowed to and she knew there was no way she could argue with them.

She sat with her head bent over her desk, writing steadily. For once, her desk was relatively organized and she was making some progress. As she wrote, she saw someone enter her office. She looked up, expecting to see Harper.

"Newt!" she exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"I was kind of bored at home by myself so I decided to come see you. And I brought you some coffee," he said. "It's in my case though."

Tina laughed. "Thank you." She hesitated. "You called it home," she pointed out. "You did that the other day too."

Newt shrugged. "It feels like home so that's what I call it."

He set down his case and vanished into it. He reappeared a few minutes later, handing her a steaming mug. She took it from him and sipped it slowly.

"I really love your coffee, Newt. For someone who doesn't like coffee, you make some of the best coffee I've ever had." She sipped at it again. "And you make it just how I like it."

"Thank you," Newt mumbled, a shy blush on his cheeks. Tina motioned for him to take a seat.

"I do have to work but I'd like you to stay," she said. 

Newt nodded and sat down. He pulled a book out and started reading. He was spending a lot of time reading while in New York but he didn't have anything else to be doing. They were silent for a long time. Tina was making quite a lot of progress in her work and Newt was reading quietly.

Eventually, Newt lowered his book and studied Tina. Her head was bent over her work, her hair covering her face. She was writing slowly, the end of her quill occasionally getting caught in her hair. The fingers of her right hand were stained with black ink.

Newt's mind wandered back to something he had been thinking of since he was back in England. He liked the thought but there was something holding him back. He was too afraid. 

Eventually, Tina looked up and noticed he was staring at her. He blushed slightly but he didn't look away. She offered him a small smile. Her smile had an incredible effect on him. He loved her smile. There was something about it that was so enchanting, so captivating. As she smiled at him, his next words came out before he could stop them.

"Marry me," he blurted.

Tina started. "What?"

Newt blushed and ducked his head. "I-- I'm sorry-- I shouldn't have--"

"Do you really mean that?" Tina interrupted.

He hesitated. He desperately wanted to say yes, that he did mean it, but he couldn't bring himself to speak. "I -- Uh-- I mean-- It sort of s-slipped out but--"

Tina studied him as he struggled to find his words.

"I think you do mean it," she said gently. "You wouldn't have said it if you didn't. Especially since it was an accident."

Newt's blush deepened. He still didn't know what to say. Slowly, he managed to nod his head once. He got to his feet and moved to stand beside Tina's chair. She got to her feet as well. He nervously took her hands in his, staring at the floor.

"Tina, I d-do want you to marry me," he said slowly, trying to speak clearly. "I've been wondering if I should ask you for a while but I was too scared. I still am. I only managed to ask you because I had just been thinking about it and it sort of slipped out before I could stop it, but that doesn't mean I didn't mean it. I do. I love you and I want to marry you. I'm just afraid you don't feel the same."

"Newt," Tina said softly. He looked up to meet her deep, brown eyes. "I love you," she said. "You know that. I love you so much. I'd love to marry you because I can't imagine spending my life with anyone else."

"Really?" Newt asked.

Tina smiled softly. "Of course." She pulled her hands from his and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a kiss. He returned it slowly, unable to believe what had just happened. They pulled apart and stared into each other's eyes.

"I love you," she breathed, running a hand through his soft hair.

"I don't have a ring," he mumbled.

"I didn't think you did."

"Why don't I go buy one?" Newt suggested. "Then I can propose to you properly."

"No," Tina said firmly. "There was nothing wrong with this proposal. I've already told you I want to marry you and it doesn't matter that you weren't kneeling with a ring in your hands."

"I can still buy you a ring though, right?" he asked.

She laughed. "Yes, of course. We need some proof that we're engaged, don't we? Besides, it'll give you something to do."

Newt smiled. "I'll go now, then. Can you watch my case?"

Tina nodded. "It'll be safe here."

Newt pressed another kiss to her lips and left the room. Tina returned to her seat and stared at the papers in front of her. She knew she needed to get back to work but her mind couldn't focus.

_I'm engaged_ , she realized. _And it's to Newt. I'm engaged to Newt Scamander. We're going to get married and we'll be together forever. ___

____

 

____

Newt wandered through the streets of New York, looking for a jewelry store that looked like it would have something nice. Nervous excitement ran through his body as he thought about what just happened. He had finally asked Tina to marry him. It had been an accident at first but he had done it . . . and she had said yes.

____

Seeing a shop that looked like it had nice jewelry, Newt ducked inside and began looking around. There where hundreds of rings but one stood out to him. It was a thin, wavy band of silver. There were five diamonds on it, each shaped to look like a little leaf. He quickly paid for the ring and went back to MACUSA. Tina was still sitting behind her desk, working slowly. She looked up when he came in.

____

"Well?"

____

"I found something," he said shyly. He moved around the desk, pulling his chair to sit beside her. Digging in his pocket, he brought out a small, blue velvet box. He opened it and showed her the ring inside. "Look."

____

Tina gasped softly. "I love it. It's beautiful."

____

Newt carefully pulled the metal out of the box. "May I?"

____

She nodded so he gently took her left hand and slipped the ring on her ring finger.

____

"You're mine now," he murmured with a soft chuckle.

____

Tina laughed quietly. "I think I've been yours since we met." She pulled him into a kiss and he kissed her back hungrily.

____

 

____

Newt and Tina arrived home before Queenie. Newt had taken his case into his room but the moment he emerged, Tina pulled him into a kiss. They kissed passionately, completely forgetting their surroundings. They didn't even notice Queenie coming in until she let out an excited shriek. Then they jumped apart, blushing madly.

____

"I can't believe this!" Queenie squealed. "I knew you'd been thinking about this for weeks but I didn't know you were actually going to do it!" She paused, glancing between the two of them, drinking the story from their minds. "Oh, I see. . ." she giggled. "Come on then, let me see the ring." Tina showed it to her and she squeaked excitedly.

____

"I'm so happy for the two of you!" Queenie congratulated. "I know you'll be happy together." She moved to begin preparing supper and Tina turned back to Newt.

____

"I just have one question," she said nervously. "Once we're married, how is it going to work? I mean, I live in New York. You live in London."

____

"I'm not going to ask you to leave New York, Tina," Newt promised. "I know how much you love your job. My job doesn't require me to stay in any one place. Once the book has been published, I should be able to stay in New York. I'll only have to go back to England for a few business related things."

____

Tina's face broke into a smile. "I love you so much, Newt."

____

"I love you too, darling."

____


	15. Birthday Pastries

Newt rubbed his eyes sleepily as he changed. It was a little later than he usually woke up but he knew it didn't matter. As he tucked in his white shirt, there was a tap on his door.

"Come in," he called.

The door slid open and Tina came in, closing the door behind her. Newt pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to her lips. They had been engaged for a few days now but he still couldn't believe it.

"Good morning, darling," he murmured.

"Good morning," Tina replied. "Queenie tells me that today is a special day."

Newt glanced at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

She laughed softly. "Happy birthday, Newt."

"Oh, I'd forgotten about that."

Tina pulled him into a kiss. His arms slipped around her waist, pulling her closer to him. They kissed slowly, knowing that they would have their whole lives ahead of them. Tina's arms slipped around Newt's neck, settling on his shoulders. She pulled Newt closer, deepening the kiss. They broke apart when they heard a tap on the door. It slid open to reveal Queenie.

"It's breakfast time," she said. "Happy birthday, Newt."

"Thank you," he mumbled.

Tina slipped her hand into his and tugged him out of the room. They sat down and began to eat. The meal was delicious, Queenie had prepared Newt's favorite breakfast. When they were done Tina pushed away Newt's attempts to help clean up so he went to the couch and watched the sisters moving around the kitchen. Eventually, they finished. Queenie pulled on her coat and left but Tina took a seat next to Newt.

"You're not going to work?" he asked, mildly surprised.

Tina shook her head. "No, I can get off work for a day and today is your birthday. I'm spending it with you." She pressed a kiss to his lips before lying down, resting her head in his lap. Reaching up, she took one of Newt's hands in hers and they stayed there for hours, talking quietly. Eventually, Tina sat up and pressed a kiss to Newt's lips. He pulled her closer until she was practically in his lap. His arms were around her waist, holding her close. Tina own hands were in his hair, tilting his head to kiss him deeply.

Newt melted into the kiss. Every time he kissed Tina, every time she kissed him, he was reminded of just how much he loved her. Nothing had ever come close to the feeling of her lips moving against his in a gentle kiss, and this kiss was far from gentle. He doubted that kissing anyone else would feel quite the same. Her fingers tugged at his hair, trying to bring him even closer. She loved kissing him, she had never felt anything so wonderful.

They broke apart and Tina buried her face in Newt's shoulder. He pressed a kiss to her hair, adjusting his grip on her to hold her more comfortable.

"I still can't believe we're engaged," she murmured. "I love you so much."

"I love you too," Newt murmured. "I'm so glad we met."

"I'm hungry," Tina mumbled. 

"Should I make something to eat?"

She nodded and they got up somewhat reluctantly. Newt quickly prepared a meal and they ate it together. Then they cleaned the dishes and moved back to the couch. Tina curled up in his lap and yawned. She was asleep a few minutes later. Newt reached up and gently stroked her dark hair. He pressed his cheek to the top of her head and soon drifted off to sleep as well. 

 

Newt and Tina were woken up by the sound of the door opening and Queenie bursting into the room.

"I've found it!" she exclaimed.

The two at the couch blinked sleepily at her. They still weren't fully awake and weren't sure what she was talking about.

"Found what?" Tina yawned, resting her head back on Newt's shoulder.

"Jacob's bakery!"

Now Newt and Tina were fully awake. They both sat up straighter, though Tina made no attempt to move off of Newt.

"What?" they exclaimed in unison.

"I've found his bakery. It's been open for a few weeks and it's already doing really well," she explained, bouncing up and down excitedly. "You need to come see it. It's amazing!"

Tina glanced at the time. It was nearly two o'clock. "Don't you need to go back to work?"

Queenie shook her head. "No, this is more important. Come on, you two." She had come over to them and was trying to drag her sister to her feet.

"Why can't we go after you come back?" Tina groaned.

"It closes at three," the blond witch informed them. "Come on."

Tina gave in with a laugh. _It'll be nice to see Jacob again. Even if he doesn't remember us._

"About that," Queenie said nervously.

"What?" Tina glared at her sister. "What did you do?"

Her sister shook her head. "Nothing. I don't know what happened. He doesn't remember everything but there are things he knows, he just doesn't connect them together and it's kinda like he's remembering a dream."

Tina frowned slightly, unsure of what to think. She and Newt pulled on their coats and they left the apartment. Queenie led them to an alley and they Disapparated. She dragged them along a busy street to a shop with pastries displayed in the window. The name 'Kowalski' was painted above the door. She stopped in front of a window and pointed inside. 

"Look."

Newt gasped. There in the window was a display with four different kinds of pastries, each of them shaped like . . .

"My creatures," he breathed. There were Nifflers on the top shelf, Demiguieses below it, Occamies on the next shelf, and Erumpents on the last. "How?"

Queenie shrugged. She grabbed them again and pulled them to the door. The people in line outside the shop gave her a dirty look as she pushed past them.

"We're not customers," she explained to them. "We're just friends of the owner." She pulled them inside and through the shop.

"Jacob," she called. He looked in their direction and his face light up.

"Hey!" he exclaimed. He pulled off his apron and came around the counter. "It's so good to see you guys again." He gave both Newt and Tina a hug.

"It's good to see you too," they said, blushing slightly when they realized they had practically spoken in unison.

"What are you doing in New York?" he asked Newt. "I thought you were supposed to leave."

"I did but I've been visiting. This is my -- Uh--"

"Third," he and Tina said. They blushed and Newt finished the sentence alone.

"Third visit."

Jacob raised his eyebrows.

"How do you remember?" Tina demanded.

"I don't know," Jacob shrugged. "I don't remember a lot. I remember you guys and your creatures obviously."

Queenie frowned slightly. "It's kinda interesting. He only seems to remember good things. He doesn't remember anything about Credence."

Newt gasped. "Oh . . ."

"What?" Tina asked.

"I just realized. I know how he remembers," he turned to Tina. "Please don't be upset with me but this is my fault."

"How?"

"I didn't think about this when we Obliviated the city, honestly, but I used a potion made from Swooping Evil venom, right?"

Tina nodded. "So?"

"That potion only erases bad memories. Jacob can remember all these things because he enjoyed them." He hesitated. "You're not to upset are you?"

Tina laughed and shook her head. "Of course not." She turned to Jacob. "It's nice to see you again."

"Thanks," he said. "I hear it's Newt's birthday."

Newt nodded. "It is."

"Happy birthday, buddy," he said. "Why don't you take something. Choose a pastry. Actually, all of you can have free pastries. You're my friends so I'm not gonna make you pay."

Newt and Tina nodded. "Thank you."


	16. One More Promise

Tina sighed as she lay on the couch, reading a book.

"What's wrong?" Newt asked, staring down into her brown eyes. Her head was in his lap and she looked up at him.

"You're really leaving tomorrow?" she asked.

"You know I have to."

"But I don't want you to," she whined. "I want you to stay here."

"I want to stay here too, Tina," Newt murmured, running his hand through her hair. "But you know I can't. This trip is even more important than the last two."

Tina sighed again and went back to her book. Newt also went back to reading but he continued stroking Tina's hair.

Eventually, they knew it was time to go to bed. Tina refused to move so Newt struggled out from under her, picked her up, and carried her across the room. He set her down in front of her door and gave her a brief kiss.

"Good night, darling," he murmured.

"I like it when you call me that," she said sleepily.

Newt chuckled. "I like calling you that."

He kissed her again.

"Good night," she mumbled. Then she went into her room and Newt went into his.

 

Newt and Tina walked arm in arm along the wharf. It was the middle of the morning but Tina didn't really care that she was missing work.

"I still don't want you to go," Tina muttered when they came to a stop.

Newt laughed. "I know. I'll be back. This should be the last time I have to go to London for a long time. My book is being published and then I've got a book signing on the 19th. I'll be coming back as soon as I can."

Tina pouted and he ran the back of a finger along her cheek.

"I wish I could go with you," she mumbled. "But I've got so much work."

Newt pulled her into a hug. They clung to each other for a few minutes, neither one speaking.

"I love you, Tina," Newt murmured presently. "I'll be back as soon as possible. Then I'll find a house in New York, we'll get married, and we'll be together for the rest of our lives. I won't have to go back to England continually."

Tina sighed. "I love you too."

They pulled apart and looked at each other. Newt took Tina's hands in his, running his thumbs along the backs of her hands. He glanced down at them. The silver band on her left ring finger glinted, reminding them of their promise.

Newt leaned forward and captured Tina's lips in a gentle kiss. They pulled back a moment later.

"I love you," Newt said once again. "You're the only woman I've ever loved and I hope you never doubt that."

Tina nodded. "You're the only man I've ever loved as well."

"Goodbye, darling."

"Bye, Newt."


	17. Published

Newt quickly finished his breakfast and went down into his basement. He quickly began feeding his creatures and was joined by Bunty a few minutes later. When they were done, he went back up to his room and changed into a clean shirt. He put on his waistcoat and jacket. Then he quickly slipped his bowtie around his neck, tying it with magic.

He glanced at his reflection in the mirror. He let out a sigh and ran his hands through his hair, trying to smooth it down slightly. Finally satisfied, he made his way back downstairs and pulled on his coat. He left his house and made his way to a quiet corner where he Apparated to Diagon Alley. He made his way along the street until he reached his destination: Obscurus Books.

Newt entered the building and made his way to the office he was pointed to. The man inside stood up from his seat behind his desk.

"Ah, Scamander, thank you for coming." He moved around the desk and shook Newt's hand. 

"Hello, Mr. Worme," Newt responded.

Agustus Worme returned to his seat and motioned for Newt to sit. 

"This arrived yesterday and I thought you might like to take a look at it." He handed Newt a small package. 

Newt carefully pushed the paper away to reveal a beautiful book. Its blue cover was decorated with a gold pattern and the title and his name were written in gold. He gasped softly and turned the book over in his hands. Opening the book, he gently flipped through the pages, occasionally reading an entry. Each of the entries was accompanied by one of his shaky sketches. He flipped to the dedication page. Everything was there, including his message to Tina.

He ran his finger over her name.

"Who is this woman you've dedicated your book too?" Worme asked.

Newt felt himself blush. "She's a friend of mine."

Worme laughed. "No, I'm talking about the one you said you loved."

"I do love her," Newt replied, blushing even harder.

"Does she know?"

"Yes," Newt smiled. "Yes, she does."

"Well," Worme went on. "What do you think of the book?"

"It's beautiful. I love this."

"Excellent. I'll give the go-ahead for printing the rest of them."

"You mean this is the only copy that exists right now?" Newt asked.

"Yes, it is and it's yours to keep," Worme replied.

"Thank you." Newt got to his feet

"I'm sure your book will be a great success Scamander. I suggest you continue your research. We might need you to create further editions in the future."

 

Newt sat with his book in his hands. He couldn't believe it. He had been working on this book for the last several years and it was finally here. It was beautiful.

_This is the first copy_ , he realized, tracing the pattern with a finger. _This book is special . . . and it belongs to a very special woman_ , he decided. He carefully wrapped the book up and set it in his drawer. Then he pulled out a sheet of paper and reached for his quill.

 

_Dear Tina,_

_I received the first copy of my book today. It's absolutely beautiful. The rest will be printed soon. I can't wait to bring this book to you. More importantly, I can't wait to see you again. I miss you so much. I love you, Tina._

 

"Newt!" 

Newt started at the sound of his assistant's voice. He set his quill down and went down into his basement. Bunty was finishing up with one of the creatures. She looked up when he appeared.

"You need to feed the Kelpie."

Newt sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He wanted to finish his letter but Bunty was right, the Kelpie needed food. He had already taken off his jacket and waistcoat so he quickly made his way over to the lake. Bunty followed him, snatching the bucket of feed.

"Be careful, Newt," she said as he prepared to dive in. He glanced at her curiously.

"I'm always careful," he said, rolling up his sleeves.

"Do you really think you should go in with your shirt?"

"I always do, Bunty," he replied. _Unless I'm alone, sometimes. Why does she always suggest that?_

Newt jumped into the water and swam down until he saw the Kelpie coming towards him. He stopped moving, letting the large creature knock him around a bit before grabbing on and quickly gaining control over the beast. He maneuvered it up to the surface where he climbed off and kept the Kelpie from leaving as Bunty fed him.

"So, how's your book coming along? You got a copy today, right?" she asked when they let the Kelpie go.

"Yes, they're going to be printed now. They'll be in stores in a couple of days. Then I've got a book signing on the 19th," Newt explained.

"And will you be leaving the country again?"

"Uh -- Yes," he admitted. "I'll be leaving and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I'll probably be moving."

"Moving?" 

"Yes. It may take a while to move completely because of all this," he said, gesturing to the basement around him.

"Why are you moving? Where are you moving?" Bunty asked.

"I'm not sure if I'm actually moving," Newt said, unwilling to explain it to her. He blushed slightly and quickly excused himself, hurrying back upstairs to finish his letter.


	18. Achilles Tolliver

Tina bent her head over her work. Newt's most recent letter sat on the desk beside her paperwork. Pausing, she glanced at it again. Newt's book had finally been published, she had seen something about it in the newspaper, and he would be coming soon enough. 

_I can't wait for him to come back. I miss him so much._

She wanted to write him a letter right then but she knew she couldn't. She had work to do.

Tina let out a sigh and began working again. She was stressed. Harper was moving to another state and she would be getting a new partner. She didn't want a new one. She and Harper had learned to work well together and they understood how the other worked. She didn't want to have to go through the process of learning again.

Isaac Henson, the current Director for Magical Security, entered the room, a young man standing behind him. Tina didn't recognize the second man. 

"Goldstein," Henson said. "I'd like to introduce you to Achilles Tolliver. He'll be your new partner. He just moved from Ohio and, since you're one of our best Aurors and you need a new partner, you'll be showing him how things work here."

Tina nodded, offering them a small smile. "Thank you, Henson."

"I'll leave you two to get to know each other," Henson said. He left the room and Tolliver approached the desk.

"I'm Achilles Tolliver," he said, offering his hand. 

Tina got to her feet and shook his hand.

"Tina Goldstein," she replied. "So, we're working together now?"

"So it seems," Tolliver agreed. "I must say, I can't complain."

Tina didn't like the way he was looking at her as he said that but she ignored it and sat down. Suddenly seeing Newt's letter, she grabbed it and folded it, carefully slipping it in her pocket. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to tell Tolliver about Newt.

"Tina," he said slowly. "I like your name." He had taken a seat was sitting comfortably in the chair.

"Thank you," she said dryly. She didn't mind the name 'Tina' but she still wasn't comfortable with her full name, 'Porpentina'. It was strange and every time someone commented on her nickname she was reminded of her full name.

"What?" Tolliver asked. "You don't like your name?"

Tina shrugged. "It's fine but what do you think of the name 'Porpentina'?"

"I'd feel sorry for whoever has that name," he said. He suddenly seemed to realize what she meant. "Oh, is that your name?"

Tina nodded.

"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize-- I didn't mean it that way."

"It's fine." Tina picked up her quill and rolled it between her fingers, watching the feather shimmer. It was a gift from Newt. He had sent it in the mail a few days ago. It was made of a Thunderbird feather, Frank's feather, to be precise. She loved the way the cream-colored feather flashed gold as it moved.

"Nice quill," Tolliver said. "Can I see it?"

Tina hesitated then shook her head. "No, I'd rather not let anyone touch it. It's special to me."

"Why?"

"A friend of mine gave it to me. It's a Thunderbird feather and I was a Thunderbird in Ilvermorny."

"Really?" Tolliver exclaimed. "So was I!"

Tina nodded slowly. "Ah." She was itching to get back to her work but she couldn't exactly kick Tolliver out. So far, she had found him obnoxious, though she had to admit he was quite handsome. _But not as handsome as Newt._

Tolliver had gotten up and was looking around the room. He pulled a few books off the shelf and looked at them. Tina was glad to see he replaced them properly.

"Are you always this quiet?" he asked.

"I don't usually talk to people if that's what you mean," Tina said.

"She misses her boyfriend." Harper had just entered the room, a cheeky grin on his face.

"Shut up, Harper," Tina laughed.

"Are you her boyfriend?" Tolliver asked.

"Nope. Her boyfriend is this tall, British man with really messy hair."

Tina felt herself blush. "Harper, what are you doing here?"

"I came to collect my books. I'm leaving in a couple of days, remember?" He turned back to Tolliver. "By the way, who are you?"

"Achilles Tolliver. I'm Tina's new partner," Tolliver replied.

The two men shook hands.

"So you're my replacement," Harper said. "I'll warn you now. Goldstein's a stubborn woman. Don't bother trying to get her to do anything she doesn't want to. And always do what she says. I got this because I disobeyed her." Harper pointed to a scar on his chin.

"She did that to you?" Tolliver asked, a look of surprise on his face.

"No, but I got injured because I didn't listen to her and she was right. She's always right."

Tina rolled her eyes. "Harper, out, now."

"I'm just getting my books," he said, quickly moving to do so.

Tina laughed and watched as her former partner pulled a few books off her shelves.

"See you, Goldstein," he said.

"Bye, Harper," she replied.

He vanished from the room and Tina glanced back up at Tolliver.

"I've got a lot of work to do so do you mind if I get back to that?" she asked.

Tolliver ignored her. "You've got a boyfriend?"

Tina blushed. "That's none of your business. I need to work. I think you should go find something to do."

Tolliver nodded and left.

 

"So, how's your new partner, Teen?" Queenie was resting her chin on her fist, staring at her sister across the table.

Tina pushed her food around her plate. "He's obnoxious. I'm gonna miss Harper. He understands that we're at work. Tolliver seems to be trying to flirt with me."

"Just tell him you're engaged."

"No," Tina said, shaking her head. "I don't know why but telling Tolliver about Newt just feels-- It just feels wrong."

Queenie studied her and she knew she was reading her mind. "Your mind is just weird, Tina," she said decisively.

Tina blushed.

"I miss Newt," she groaned.

"I know you do," Queenie said. "You're always thinking about him."

Tina sighed. "He's so far away. I wish he was here right now. I'd feel so much better if he was."


	19. Book Signing

Newt tried to listen to the instructions he was being given but he was too distracted. He was incredibly nervous. He didn't like the thought of having to talk to a lot of people. He was also incredibly distracted by the unopened letter in his pocket. It had arrived that morning, just as he was preparing to leave. He hadn't had time to read it and that was the only thing he wanted to be doing.

Just then, Theseus and Leta entered the shop. They greeted him cheerfully.

"Hello, Theseus," he said coldly.

"What's wrong with you?" Theseus asked. Newt just glared at him. "Newt, if this is about the Common Welsh Green I promise you I had nothing to do with it."

"It was killed on one of your missions," Newt pointed out.

"I didn't authorize that. I didn't know they were going to kill it. Believe me, the ones who did are in trouble," Theseus explained.

Newt relaxed slightly. "I'm sorry, I should have said hello to you too, Leta."

Leta laughed slightly. "It's fine. I told Theseus you'd probably react that way."

Newt glanced between the two of them. He knew they had been dating for a while now but they seemed to be standing closer than he had seen them before.

"We've got something to tell you," Leta went on.

"Really?" 

"Yes, we're getting married," Theseus said.

Newt stared at them. A few months earlier, that announcement would have hurt, just like the announcement that they were dating had hurt, but now he didn't care. He had a girlfriend, no a fiancée, of his own and he loved her desperately.

"Congratulations!" he managed. "I'm sure you'll be happy together."

"Thank you," they said.

They all moved to stand behind the desk. They were informed that it would be about ten minutes before they would start so Newt quickly pulled out his letter and opened it. He began reading it, ignoring everyone around him.

 

_Dear Newt,_

_I meant to write yesterday but I was too annoyed and too tired to do so. Before you jump down my throat for not getting enough sleep I promise you that's not the problem. I've been leaving work at 5:00 every day and I haven't taken any of my work home. You can ask Queenie if you don't believe me. The problem was I had a stressful day at work yesterday, and today too. You probably remember Harper, the Auror who's been my partner since I was reinstated. The thing is, he's moving to another state so I'm getting a new partner. I was introduced to him yesterday. His name's Achilles Tolliver. He's quite good looking, but nowhere near as handsome as you are._

_Tolliver is the reason yesterday was so stressful. The moment the two of us were alone in the room, he starts trying to flirt with me. It was very subtle but it was still flirting. Harper mentioned I have a boyfriend but I still haven't told Tolliver about you. Somehow, telling him I'm engaged just feels wrong. I don't know why and even Queenie says she doesn't understand._

_Sometimes I still can't believe you're my fiancé. I love you so much and I love writing the word fiancé. I really wish you were here right now. Everything is always so much easier to tolerate when I know I can just go home to you._

_I'm getting distracted. Sorry. About Tolliver: I met him in the morning and he was in my office for a few minutes before I asked him to leave so I could finish my work. The problem was, I couldn't get away from him in the afternoon. I had to show him around MACUSA and had to answer all his questions. Well, all his work-related questions. More than half his questions were about me and many of them were very personal. He seems to be a nice, sweet man but spending time with him is exhausting. I spent half a day with him and I'm tired. I don't know how I'm supposed to work with him!_

_Today was a little better. I didn't see much of Tolliver but I had so much work to try and finish during my work hours because I wasn't able to work yesterday afternoon. I had to work through my lunch break, though I did eat lunch._

_Harper is leaving tomorrow so we went out to get coffee after work. Before you get jealous, we just went as friends. Would I even be telling you this if we didn't? It was just a chance for us to talk before he left. We never really got to know each other since we always had a professional relationship. Our relationship only moved from coworkers to friends after he met you. We decided that, since he was leaving, we might as well be friends so we took the time to talk. Apparently, he proposed to his girlfriend this morning and she said yes. He said she'll be moving to join him as soon as she can. Then I admitted that I was engaged to you. I really hope you don't mind. He said he'd keep it a secret and he told me to send you his congratulations._

_It's getting late and I am kind of tired. I think I'm going to go to bed now. I love you, Newt, and I miss you desperately. I wish you were here. The only thing I need right now is a really big hug from you, and maybe a few kisses as well._

_Love,_  
_Tina x_

_P.S. I saw something in the paper the other day about your book being published. I'm so proud of you and I can't wait to read it._

 

Newt smiled softly. He read through the letter again then carefully folded it and slipped it back into the envelope. He gently put the envelope back in his pocket.

"What was that?" Leta asked him.

"N-nothing," he stammered, trying not to blush.

Before Leta could ask him any more questions, they were informed that it was time to start. The first people at the desk were the photographers and reporters. Cameras flashed and Newt felt his anxiety rising. People were congratulating him and asking him questions. He felt Leta's hand on his shoulder, reassuring him. He looked down at the desk and tried to pull himself together. He finally looked up again and began answering questions.

The book signing dragged on and on. As the morning wore on and on, Newt began feeling more relaxed but eventually that changed and the more time passed, the more people he saw, the more stressed he got. He wanted to go back to his house, feed his creatures, write Tina a letter, and go to bed. When he woke up, he'd buy the first boat ticket he could an be on his way back to New York, back home, back to his fiancée.

A smile tugged at his lips as that word crossed his mind. _Tina's my fiancée. She's mine._

Newt signed one final book. Then he sat back in his chair and let out a long sigh. He slowly gathered his things and prepared to leave.

"Newt!"

Newt turned to see his brother coming towards him.

"Newt, a message from the Ministry arrived for me during the book signing."

"So?"

"They're not happy," Theseus said.

"About what?" Newt asked, perplexed.

"They don't like your reasons for your visit to New York at the beginning of December. Since you were involved with the mess that happened, they wanted to know why you were there. The answers you gave aren't good enough."

"I had my own reasons for going," Newt snapped. "That has nothing to do with the Ministry and nothing to do what happened in New York."

"Why were you in New York?" Theseus asked.

"You're only going to tell the Ministry if I told you. Besides, I've told them I was only supposed to be there temporarily and that I was in America to do research for my book."

"Is that your real reason?"

"What other reason would I have?"

Theseus shrugged.

"Theseus, what's your point?" Newt demanded. "I know the Ministry isn't happy with me, that's not new."

"Newt, they've banned you from further international travel," Theseus said solemnly.

"What?" Newt couldn't believe what his brother had just said. He didn't want to believe it. "Why?"

"They want to know what you're doing in New York. They want to know why you went there and it seems you've been back several times," Theseus explained. "Just tell them what they want to know and they'll let you travel."

"What if what they want to know isn't the truth?" Newt demanded. "I'm not going to tell them what they want to hear when it's not true."

"No, Newt," Theseus insisted. "I'm sure we can make them understand."

"You don't understand, Theseus. I _need_ to be able to leave the country." With that, Newt pushed past his brother and left the shop.

 

Tears blurred Newt's vision as he tried to read over the letter he had just finished. One fell from his eye, splashing on the page, smudging the ink of his name. He carefully folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope, quickly writing Tina's address on the back and sealing it with his usual seal of blue wax.

There was a knock on his front door. Newt got to his feet, wiping the tears from his eyes, and moved to open the door. Leta stood on the top step, looking worried.

"Newt, are you alright?" she asked.

"Yes," he replied, trying to keep his voice even. He held the door open for her to come into the house. "Why wouldn't I be?"

Leta moved towards the table before turning to reply.

"I was surprised by your reaction to Theseus's news," she said. "You took it much worse than we'd expected. I came to see what was wrong and I find you crying."

Newt sighed. He whistled and an owl fluttered into the room from his basement. He handed the letter to the owl and let it fly out into the night.

"I need to be able to travel," he said vaguely.

"But why?"

"Becuase I love traveling."

Leta glanced at him curiously. "Newt, you've been traveling consistently for the past several years and Theseus says you've been to New York four times in the last three months."

"And I need to go back," he said without thinking.

"Why?"

"I -- Uh --" Newt blushed slightly. "I have to deliver a copy of my book to someone. I promised I would at the beginning of December."

"But then you've been back several times in between that."

"Well, yes," Newt stammered. He dropped into a chair by the table.

Leta pulled a chair closer to his and sat down by him. "Newt, please tell me why you need to go to New York."

Newt blushed and shook his head. There were tears forming in his eyes. "I -- I can't."

"It's alright," Leta murmured, resting her hand on his shoulder. "Please tell me."

"Th-there's this woman," he started hesitantly. Leta didn't reply. She just nodded, encouraging him to go on. "She's so beautiful and wonderful and I love her so much. I met her in December when I was in New York to release my Thunderbird. She tried to arrest me because my Niffler escaped in a bank. The problem was she had been demoted so she couldn't actually arrest me." 

Newt took a shaky breath then went on. "More of my creatures escaped and I and my friend, a Muggle, went to go find them. This woman caught us again, we were supposed to be staying with her and her sister, and she took us in. The three of us got arrested and she and I were supposed to be executed. I was able to use Pickett and my Swooping Evil to save us and the woman's sister managed to get us and our friend out of MACUSA. Then the four of us managed to catch the rest of my creatures.

"That's when the mess happened and I was involved in the destruction of New York but it wasn't my fault. I don't know how much of that I'm allowed to talk about. Anyway, our friend, the Muggle was obliviated and I had to leave New York. I promised the woman that I'd return with my book once it had been published. 

"We started writing to each other and she and her sister invited me to join them for Christmas. I did and--" Newt broke off, embarrassed. "Anyway, we became close so I went back to visit her again in January and in February. I was supposed to be going back after my book signing to finally keep the promise I made the first time I left. I really need to go. I can't-- I need--"

Newt wasn't able to continue. Tears were streaming down his cheeks. He had finally realized that he wasn't going to see Tina for a very long time. He felt Leta's arms wrap around his shoulders, pulling him into a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder and let himself cry. 

"Shh," she murmured. "It's fine. I'm sure everything will be okay. Theseus will help you get rid of this ban. The Ministry can't keep you here forever."

"Promise me you won't tell Theseus any of what I just told you," Newt mumbled.

Leta ran a hand over the back of his head and pressed a kiss to the top of his head. "I won't, Newt. Not if you don't want me to."


	20. Spellbound

Tina was excited. Newt's book signing had been the day before and she was expecting a letter from Newt, telling her when he'd be arriving. She ate her breakfast quickly. Queenie laughed at her.

"You're really very excited, aren't you?" she laughed.

"I--"

"Miss Newt. I know. You're literally thinking about him every single second of the day." Queenie frowned playfully. "It's a bit annoying actually."

Tina playfully slapped her sister's arm. The younger woman got to her feet to get the mail. As she came back to the table, there was a tap on the window. Tina rushed over and pushed it open, letting the own flutter in. She took the letter from its beak and gave it a treat. Before she could open it, however, her sister let out an excited squeal.

"Look, Teenie," she called. "Newt's on the cover of _Spellbound_!"

Tina started. "Really?" She hurried over to join her sister, dropping the letter on the table as she passed it. She glanced at the magazine in Newt's hand. The cover was green and had two pictures of Newt. A banner across the cover read, "Newt Scamander: The Wizard Who Caught Grindelwald". Tina quickly grabbed the magazine from Queenie's hands and flipped it to pages four and five. Her heart sunk.

There was a picture of Newt standing behind a desk. With him were two women and a man. She recognized one of the women from the picture in Newt's case. _Leta Lestrange._ She had her hand on Newt's shoulder and an engagement ring sparkled on her finger. She was taking turns smiling up at Newt and at the camera. Eventually, Newt turned to her and offered her a tiny smile. But that wasn't what had caught Tina's eye. Across the top of the pages was the heading "Beast Tamer Newt to Wed". 

Tina's breath caught. There was a caption above the picture so she read it quickly. 

_Newt Scamander with fiancée Leta Lestrange, brother Theseus, and unknown woman at Flourish and Blotts' "Fantastic Beasts" book launch._

Tina felt the magazine slip from her fingers, landing open on the table.

"Tina, I'm sure this is a mistake," Queenie started. "Maybe they heard he was engaged and saw the ring on Leta's finger and just assumed that she was engaged to him. Maybe she's engaged to someone else. Or maybe the person who wrote this article just saw this picture and wanted to come up with a sensational story. You know how these magazines are. You know they aren't known for being accurate."

But Tina wasn't listening. She had picked up the magazine again and was reading the article.

 

_Newt Scamander off the market, Ladies? Can it really be true? Dashing & young magizoologist (I had to make a very long arm for my trusty dictionary for that tongue-twister!) Newt Scamander has been spied amongst the London literati, tête à tête with a demure young slip of a gal with the memorable moniker: Leta Lestrange, his fiancée no less, at the launch of Mister Scamander's much bruited new tome 'Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them' at Flourish & Blotts in Diagon Alley. Little is known of Ms Lestrange, who has yet to be launched into 'Society', other than that she has recently started work alongside Newt's brother Theseus at the Ministry of Magic... A little bird (An owl in fact) told me that Ms Lestrange and Mr Newt Scamander were contemporaries at Hogwarts as youngsters! Can it be that the delectably handsome Mr Scamander pitched a woo to the starry-eyed young slip of a girl over a Charms class? Mr Scamander was obviously an A student! Ms Lestrange's fiancé is currently the talk of the town with his book on outré magicanimals being touted as the next non-fiction cross over hit of the year. Rumour has it that Mr Scamander is currently pondering a very generous three book deal from Obscurus Books that a literary insider described as having "...more zeros than a noughts and crosses game!"_

 

Tina didn't want to keep reading. She felt sick to her stomach but she couldn't stop herself.

 

_Mr Scamander will find the newly accrued literary lolly coming in most handy, if the rock I glimpsed on Ms Lestrange's finger is any indication of her magpie fondness for bright shiny things like...diamonds and silver! Should Mr Scamander accept the generous offer from Obscurus Books, readers can expect him and his new wife to set up home in a more salubrious perlieu of London than his current more modest domicile. Another little bird, (yes, an owl) tells me of unsettling rumours that Mr Scamander's current neighbours will not miss him if he decides to up sticks and make his homestead in pastures new! There have been dark mutterings of disgruntled complaint as peaceful nights are disturbed by the wild shriek of heretofore unclassified animals forming part of the strange household Mr Scamander keeps in his modest London townhouse. The weird ululations of magibeasts, nameless and without phylum pierce the fog-bound moonlit London nights, troubling the sleep--_

 

The article wasn't over but Tina had come to the end of the page and couldn't bring herself to turn it. She dropped the magazine again and sank into a chair. Then she buried her face in her hands and cried. She felt Queenie's arms around her, her soothing voice murmuring comforting words in her ear.

"Tina, it's okay. I'm sure there's an explanation to this. Newt's just not like that. You know he isn't," she murmured. "Why don't you read his letter? Maybe he explains things in there."

Tina sniffed and raised her head slowly. She reached across the table and picked up Newt's letter. She broke the seal and pulled out the paper inside. Then she unfolded it and began reading.

 

_My Dear Tina,_

_You have no idea how frustrated I am right now. Today was a nightmare._

_This morning, there was a report in the paper about a Common Welsh Green that was killed by a group of Aurors. To make things worse, the Aurors were members of my brother, Theseus's team. He tells me he didn't authorize it and didn't even know about it until after it had happened. I can't believe anyone could be so heartless. Common Welsh Greens aren't even dangerous. They're the least dangerous of all the dragons and won't attack humans unless provoked. Sometimes I can't stand Aurors. They're all a bunch of careerist hypocrites._

 

Tina's face darkened. She couldn't believe Newt had just insulted her entire career. _So that's how he feels about me?_ she thought. _He just thinks I'm a careerist hypocrite. If that's the case, why did he want to marry me?_ Then her eyes fell on the magazine. _Right, he doesn't. He's marrying Leta. She's not an Auror._ Tina pushed these thoughts from her mind and continued reading, her sadness almost completely replaced by fury.

 

_The book signing went smoothly enough. I was really nervous but Theseus, Leta and Bunty were there to support me. It turned out fine. The problem came at the end, when I was about to leave. Theseus stopped me and told me the worst news I've heard in years. The Ministry has placed a ban on all my international travels. In other words, I can't go back to New York. I won't be able to bring you your copy of my book for who knows how long. I don't know how long this ban is going to last. Theseus and Leta are going to help me try and have it lifted but I'm so scared that it won't work._

_You don't know how upset I am about this. I miss you so much. I need you and I wish you were here. Hopefully, this ban will be lifted soon so I'll be able to return to New York with your copy of my book. I have the very first copy for you. It's special so I want to save it for the most special person in the world: you. If the ban can't be lifted, maybe you could come to England instead. Then we could get married and I'll have a good reason for the Ministry to lift my ban. I love you so much Tina and I need you right now._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

 

Tina crumpled that paper and threw it across the room in the direction of the fireplace. She instantly regretted it. Thankfully, it had fallen short. She darted across the room and picked it up, hastily smoothing it out. She slowly ran her finger over his name. The ink was smudged and the paper seemed pinched, as if it had been wet. _Was he crying?_

She shook her head, shaking all emotion from her mind. Pulling out her wand, she removed the wrinkles from the paper, folded it up, and slipped it back into its envelope. She walked into her room and pulled out the box where she kept all of Newt's letters. She carefully slipped the newest letter in with the rest of them. Then she put the box away. 

Tina moved over to her dresser. She pulled out her small jewelry box. There wasn't much in it, she didn't own much jewelry. Glancing down at the ring on her finger, she felt tears pricking her eyes again. Before she could change her mind, she tugged off the ring and dropped it into the box. Then she put the box away and collapsed on her bed. She hugged her pillow close and sobbed into it. 

She felt used, cheated. She had thought Newt was different, he had always seemed different, but he wasn't. He was just like every other man. She couldn't believe he had been stringing her along like this. He had kissed her, told her he loved her, made so many promises to her, and asked her to marry him. She had fallen for his charms and now she was paying for it.

The door slid open and closed. Tina could feel Queenie sitting on the edge of her bed. She let her sister pull her into a hug.

"Shh, Tina," she murmured.

"How could he?" Tina sobbed. "How could he use me like this? Why didn't you tell me he didn't love me?"

"Because he does, Tina," Queenie murmured. "At least, he did. When he left, he loved you completely. That's why I'm sure this is just a mistake."

"Then why didn't he tell me?"

"Maybe he doesn't know."

Tina shook her head. "It can't be a mistake. She's wearing a ring and they were standing together. He mentioned her in his letter so many times."

Queenie didn't respond. She just hugged her sister tighter. Tina buried her face in her sister's shoulder and sobbed.

_How could he do this? How could he use me like this?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My grammar/spell checker really hates the _Spellbound_ article. Though, to be fair, I didn't write it.
> 
> Anyway, now that I'm done with this I'm gonna go watch _Doctor Who_.


	21. Moving On

Tina woke up with a headache. She felt sick to her stomach. Shoving her covers off her, she rushed to the bathroom, hoping that, if she threw up, she could get rid of the nauseous feeling in her stomach, but she couldn't. She slumped to the floor, leaning against the wall. 

There was a tap on the door. It opened and Queenie came in. She crouched down beside her sister and pulled her into a hug.

"Shh, Teenie, honey," she murmured. "It's fine. Why don't you go back to bed? I'll let people know you're not coming to work."

Tina nodded wordlessly and her sister helped her back to their room. She climbed back into bed, pulling her covers up to her ears. Queenie cast a healing spell and her headache lessened. 

"I've got to work now, Tina. Are you gonna be okay?"

Tina nodded. She was still in shock. _How could he? And he gave no explanation. He just continued to act as if nothing was wrong._ She wished it had all been a dream but she knew it wasn't. For one thing, she no longer had on her engagement ring. Her finger felt naked without it.

"Teen, why don't you write to him? Ask him what's going on. Maybe he'll tell you it's all a mistake." Queenie was standing in the doorway, looking down at her sister.

Tina shot upright, a stab of pain shooting through her head. "No, I'm not writing to him. He's not worth it." The look on Queenie's face was enough to tell Tina what she was thinking of. "And don't you dare write to him either," she said, her voice rising to a shout. "If I find out that you wrote to him, I will hex you to next year!"

Queenie sighed. She usually had no problem doing things her sister had asked her not to but this time she knew Tina was serious. There was nothing she could do.

 

Tina stayed in bed all day but she went to work the next day. She worked quickly, filling out paperwork faster than she ever had. She was furious and she wanted to distract herself. She wanted to forget about Newt but she couldn't.

Halfway through the afternoon, Tolliver came in with a question he should have known the answer to. Usually, that kind of question annoyed Tina but today she welcomed the distraction. She answered it as cheerfully as she could. He thanked her and turned to leave.

As he walked away, Tina had an idea.

"Achilles, wait," she called. The man stopped and turned, an expectant look on his face. Tina sighed slightly. "I was thinking, maybe we could go get coffee after work," she suggested.

Achilles's face light up. "Really? That'd be great." He frowned slightly. "Wait, I thought you had a boyfriend."

Tina gritted her teeth and shook her head. "No, I don't."

"Okay then," Achilles grinned. "That'd be great!"

 

When work was over, Tina and Achilles found a busy café and ordered coffee. They found a seat at a table in the middle of the room and Achilles piled sugar in his coffee, while Tina sipped her bitter drink. They talked together for a long time, Achilles telling many stories of when he was working as an Auror in Ohio. As Tina had suspected, he wasn't the best Auror, but she didn't care. When they were finished, they left the café.

"What do you want to do now?" Achilles asked.

"Can we go to a bookstore?" Tina asked without thinking. Even though she wanted to forget Newt, she wanted to see his book.

"A bookstore?" Achilles asked.

"Yes, a magical bookstore," Tina clarified.

"But you already have so many books."

"I just want to see something."

Achilles nodded. "Okay then." He slipped a hand around her waist and they made their way to an alley where they Apparated to the magical bookstore. Tina moved towards the shop. There, in the window, was Newt's book. She let out a quiet gasp. It was beautiful.

Tina ran inside. Achilles followed her a moment later. She picked up a copy and ran her hands over the cover.

" _Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them_ ," he read over her shoulder. "I've heard of this book. What's the big deal?"

Tina shrugged. "It's probably a good book." She quickly purchased it and they left the shop.

Achilles took Tina home. They stopped outside the building to say goodbye.

"Maybe we can do this again sometime," Achilles suggested.

Tina nodded. "Of course. That would be great."

"Okay, then." Achilles pulled Tina into a hug. She hugged him back. When they pulled away, they stared into each other's eyes. Achilles was shorter than Newt, about the same hight as Tina. Before she could tell herself that this was a bad idea, she had flung her arms around his neck and pressed a kiss to his lips. Achilles started but returned the kiss eagerly. They kissed for a minute before pulling away.

"What was that for?" Achilles asked.

"I'm not sure," Tina said. She tried to offer him a smile. "I'll see you later."

Tina dashed into the building and up to her apartment. Then she pulled out Newt's book and opened it. She didn't know why she still wanted to read it but she did. She was hesitant to look at the dedication page but curiosity got the better of her. What she saw surprised her. It was still dedicated to her. In fact, it was the exact dedication she had read before.

She felt oddly pleased. Here was something, some proof of their relationship, proof that could be seen by millions of people and that could be used against Newt.

_And_ , she realized with a dark chuckle, _I bet Leta is not going to like this._


	22. No Response

Newt started when he heard Bunty call his name. He had drifted off, staring into space. He hated to admit it but he was worried. He had always believed that worrying meant suffering twice but this time he couldn't help it. It had been over two weeks since his book signing and he hadn't received a letter from Tina. His owl had returned with no response but that wasn't unusual. Sometimes Tina would send his owl back without a letter if she hadn't had time to write that day. Then Newt would receive a letter from her a day or two later, either carried by another owl or through the Muggle post. However, this time, days had gone by and he still hadn't received a letter. He was getting nervous. Hundreds of possibilities were flashing through his mind, almost none of them good. 

Newt got to his feet and went to see what Bunty needed. When he was done helping her, he went back upstairs and began writing a letter.

 

_My Dear Tina,_

_It's been a while since you've written and I can't shake the feeling that I've done something wrong. I'm trying to go over what I wrote in my last letter but I honestly don't remember much of it. I was so upset because of my travel ban and the thought of not being able to see you again that I wasn't thinking clearly. If I said something wrong, please don't take it to heart. I'm sure I didn't mean it._

_Unfortunately, my travel ban is still in place. Every day without you is incredibly painful and I miss you so much. Leta tells me that Theseus is trying to arrange a meeting for me to see if we can get the ban lifted. I hate this separation. I want to be able to see you again. I want to feel you in my arms again and I miss the feeling of your lips on mine. I love you so much, darling, and I miss you more than I've ever missed anyone or anything._

_I've just remembered what I said in my last letter. I realize I said something rather insensitive about Aurors. I promise I didn't mean it, not about you. I realize I shouldn't have said it but I wasn't thinking when I wrote it. The truth is, I have found that many Aurors are careerist hypocrites, even my brother can be a bit like that at times, but you aren't. You're different than every other Auror I've met. You're different than every other person I've met. You're wonderful, Tina. Most Auror's I've met won't hesitate to destroy a life, just remember what they did to Credence last December, but you're different. You're the only one who wanted to save him, and not because he was powerful but because you valued his life. That's what makes you different. You value the lives of others, both humans and animals alike. You would never willingly kill the innocent, instead, you protect them from those who would hurt them. I know how important your job is to you, Tina, and I'm very sorry about what I said, but I promise, I didn't mean it about you. When I wrote it, I wasn't thinking about you as an Auror. You were simply my fiancée, the only person I really trusted._

_I love you so much, Tina. Please write to me. It's hard enough for me not to see you. Don't make it worse for me by not writing back. I don't know why you aren't writing and the reasons my mind can come up with are so upsetting. I've never loved anyone before and I never knew how painful it could be. But I also never knew how wonderful it could be and, when we're together, I've never felt anything so wonderful. Leta's been trying to comfort me and tell me that the Ministry's ban can't last long and I'll be able to see you soon. Her support is nice, but it could never compare with simply being with you._

_One more thing, I meant to tell you this in my last letter but it slipped my mind. Leta and Theseus are getting married. They've been dating for a while now, I don't know why I never mentioned it to you. I'm very happy for them and I'm sure they'll be happy together. They really do love each other. Their wedding has been scheduled for 6 June next year. They've asked me to be best man. Hopefully, you'll be able to attend as well, not as my date but as my wife._

_I miss you, Tina, and I love you with all my heart._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

Newt sent this letter and waited for a response. A week passed, but still, none came. Worry was beginning to be his constant emotion. It made working difficult and Bunty was constantly calling him out for drifting off. In fact, he had several new scars on his arms and chest because he had lost focus while dealing with some of his more dangerous creatures. His worry was also impacting his sleep. He always struggled to fall asleep, his mind whirling with thoughts of what might have happened to Tina. When he finally did fall asleep, his sleep was filled with nightmares; visual representations of his daytime fears.

Sometimes Newt would dream about the execution chamber in MACUSA and the time Tina had nearly died. Other times he would see Tina lying motionless in an empty field or with a fight happening around her. He would wake up in a cold sweat and go downstairs to make himself a cup of tea. Sometimes he would make himself a cup of coffee, though he always put cream and sugar in his. The smell reminded him of her, of their dates, of how she was always trying to work. The taste reminded him of their kisses; the gentle kisses and the passionate ones. 

The fact that Tina wasn't replying didn't make Newt write to her less. Instead, he began writing to her more often. Eventually, he was writing a letter to her every day. Each letter was filled with his love. He would tell her about his day, about his nightmares, and about everything he was afraid of. He spoke about his creatures and the issues they were giving him. He didn't know if Tina was reading the letters but he hoped she was. He really hoped she was.


	23. Fighting the Ban

_Dear Tina,_

_Theseus finally managed to arrange a meeting for me. It will be taking place tomorrow morning. We can only hope we're successful so I can return to New York. I don't know what reason they have for keeping me in the country. I still haven't decided if I want to tell them my real reasons for needing to leave the country because I'm hesitant to drag you into this and my brother will be there. He doesn't know about you and I'm not quite ready to tell him._

_I got a new scar today, unfortunately. My Kelpie bit my arm while I was trying to feed him. It was a stupid accident, one that shouldn't have happened. The problem is, I can't concentrate on anything anymore. I miss you too much._

_I've been so afraid that the reason you're not writing is that something has happened to you and that you're in some sort of trouble but today I came up with another possibility and it scares me more than all the others. I realized that you might have decided you didn't love me anymore and didn't want to marry me. I'm so afraid that you might have moved on and my only hope is that, if you did, you would have told me about it._

_I think I'm going to have to go to bed soon. I'd like to write a longer letter but I'm falling asleep at my desk. I didn't sleep well last night. I had another nightmare about you._

_I'll tell you how the meeting goes tomorrow._

_I love you, Tina._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

____

Newt woke up late the next morning, despite having gone to bed early the night before. He had slept badly once again. It had been a long time since he had gotten a good night's sleep. After clumsily feeding his creatures, he had a quick breakfast and left for the Ministry. Despite his late start, he managed to reach it early. Theseus was waiting for him.

"Ah, Newt," he greeted. "You made it."

Newt nodded and offered his brother a weak smile.

"You look exhausted," Theseus said with a frown.

"I don't sleep well anymore."

"Why? Because of the ban?"

Newt nodded and his brother gave him a curious glance.

"Newt, I don't see why this is affecting you this much," Theseus said. "I understand that you love to travel and that you resent being kept in one place but that's nothing to lose sleep over."

"I need to be able to travel, Theseus. Please don't ask me to tell you why," Newt mumbled.

Theseus sighed. "Come this way."

Newt followed his brother through the halls of the Ministry. They reached a black door and Theseus led him inside. Three men were waiting at a round table with a round pool of liquid in the center. Newt hesitantly took a seat across from them and Theseus joined them, taking a seat between two of the men. Travers was the first to speak.

"Hearing commences," he began. "You want an end to the ban on you traveling internationally. Why?"

Newt shifted nervously. "Because I need to be able to leave the country. I have places I need to be."

"And would I be correct in suspecting you intend to return to New York?" Spielman asked.

"I -- Uh -- Yes," Newt replied, blushing slightly.

Guzman, the only American in the room, was looking at him curiously.

"And what reason do you have for returning to New York?" he asked. "As I understand, you have already been back three times since your first visit when you were involved in an incident that nearly exposed the wizarding world in America."

"I was the one responsible for Obliviating the city," Newt reminded them.

"That is true," Guzman replied. "But why do you need to return to New York?"

Newt had to fight to keep the blush from rising to his cheeks. "I-- I made a promise to a friend of mine that I would bring her a copy of my book," he admitted.

"You could always send the book through the mail," Spielman pointed out.

"I-it's not that s-simple," Newt stammered.

There was a moment's silence before Travers spoke again. 

"The Ministry will consider lifting your ban on international travels if you tell us why you were in New York at the beginning of last December," he declared.

Newt looked up at them suddenly. "I can't tell you that," he said abruptly.

"And why not?" Guzman said.

Newt glanced at him. He was the real reason he couldn't tell them. He wasn't about to admit he had gone to New York on his way to Arizona to release a Thunderbird, an action he was sure would be considered illegal in the United States.

"It's personal," Newt said. "And it's complicated," he added, even though it had nothing to do with his first statement.

The three men looked at him skeptically but Theseus was watching him with a look of mild curiosity mixed with concern.

"Tell me, Scamander," Travers started. "Did Dumbledore send you to New York?"

Newt started. "No, of course not," he said a little too quickly. "What reason would he have for sending me there?"

"Perhaps to collect information on Grindelwald's whereabouts or to locate the Obscurial."

"No, he didn't," Newt said. It was only half a lie. "He never asked me to anything."

"Then why were you in New York?" Spielman asked.

"I've already told you I can't tell you," Newt said, quickly getting to his feet.

Travers glared at him. "Very well then, travel documentation denied."


	24. Receiving Letters

Tina received a letter from Newt every day. She didn't know she felt about that. She knew it annoyed her. Newt was engaged to someone else now and she believed she had made it pretty clear that she wanted nothing to do with him when she didn't respond to his letters. She was also confused. She didn't understand why Newt was writing to her so often if he was engaged to Leta. She didn't know why he was so desperate to stay in contact with her. She also didn't understand why his letters had only gotten more frequent the longer she had gone without writing. But there was also another emotion, one she hated. She was happy that he wrote to her every day. She loved the thought that Newt was still thinking of her every day. She knew that, no matter what she told herself, no matter who Newt loved, she would always love him completely. She had given him her heart and it would always be that way.

Tina stared at the cream-colored envelope in her hands. It was sealed with blue wax as always and her address was written on the back with black ink. She was so tempted to open it. She was incredibly curious. She wanted to know what Newt was putting in these letters. But she didn't open it. 

Pulling out the box where she kept all of Newt's letters, she slipped the most recent one inside. There were dozens of letters in the box, most of them unopened. The last letter she had opened was the one she had received the day she had first seen the article.

"Teen!"

Tina sighed and quickly put the box away. She moved to join her sister in the living room.

"What is it?"

"Your hair," Queenie replied.

Tina let out a frustrated groan. _We're really going here again?_

"Yes, Teen. I think you'll look nice."

"Queenie, I honestly don't care. What reason would I have for--"

"Achilles would like it," her sister interrupted.

Tina hesitated. She wasn't going to admit it, Queenie probably already knew anyway, but that argument didn't convince her. She didn't care what Achilles thought of her. She only cared what Newt thought.

"He'd like it too," Queenie said softly.

"Then I definitely don't want to do it," Tina snapped. It wasn't exactly true, it wasn't true at all, but she didn't want to admit it, even to herself.

"Come on, Tina," Queenie begged. "You'd look so much nicer and it doesn't have to be for anyone."

"What if I don't like it?"

"Then it will always grow back."

Tina sighed.

"Yes!" Queenie squealed before Tina could even respond. "Come on."

She pulled out a chair and motioned for her sister to sit down. Tina did so and Queenie began using magic to cut her hair. A few minutes later, she announced she was done.

"Go on, Teen, go look in the mirror."

Tina got to her feet and moved into their room. She took a deep breath and looked at herself in the mirror. Her reflection stared back at her but she looked different. Very different. Her hair was shorter, coming down only to her cheeks, and her forehead was covered by bangs. She had to admit, she looked good.

_If only Newt could see me like this._

Queenie appeared behind her and she felt herself blush slightly.

"I'm glad to know you like it," Queenie smiled. "I told you you'd look good."

 

Tina was very self-conscious going to work the next morning. She felt like everyone was staring at her, even though she knew they worked. Keeping her head down, she quickly made her way to her office, beginning her paperwork immediately.

Achilles appeared a few minutes later.

"Good morning, baby," he called.

She looked up and offered him a small smile. He let out a quiet gasp.

"Tina, you look amazing," he breathed.

"Th-thank you," she said.

She got to her feet and moved around her desk. Achilles pulled her into a hug, pressing a kiss to her lips. Tina responded but she didn't enjoy it. She never enjoyed kissing Achilles. It's not that she didn't like him, she did, but she didn't feel anything special. Their kisses were nothing compared to the ones she had shared with Newt. Newt's kisses, even the gentle ones, were mind-blowing. They made her feel emotions she hadn't even known existed. They left her light-headed. He had been her first kiss and no other kisses could compare to his. After having kissed Newt, kissing Achilles was disappointing. All his kisses, even the most passionate ones, left her wanting more.

Tina missed kissing Newt, she missed Newt. She needed him. _But I can't have him_ , she reminded herself as she felt Achilles's lips meet hers again.

 

Achilles walked Tina home after work. When they reached the apartment, she invited him inside. She grabbed the mail as they went inside. He watched her as she quickly flipped through the mail, looking for the one envelope she knew she'd find. When she found it, she quickly shoved it in her pocket, dropping the rest of the mail on the table.

"What's that?" Achilles asked.

"What?"

"The letter in your pocket."

"Oh," Tina said. "It's just from someone I used to know. We used to be close but, well--" She broke off, realizing what she had been saying. "Anyway, he still writes to me but I don't bother writing back."

"Why?"

Tina shook her head. "I have my reasons." She moved to the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

"Sure. Do you have coffee?"

"Yes, of course." Tina began preparing coffee. As she poured the dark liquid into two mugs, Achilles moved to help her.

"Where's the sugar?"

"Up there," Tina said, pointing to a cupboard. He opened it and quickly found the sugar. She began cleaning up her mess and didn't see what Achilles was doing. When she was done, he handed her a mug.

"I didn't remember how much sugar you like so I just put as much as I usually do," he said.

Tina sighed quietly and kept herself from rolling her eyes. Sometimes Achilles would do things without thinking. This was one of those times. "You could have just asked me," she pointed out. "I'm right here."

"Oh, right."

Tina took her mug and sipped at the liquid. It was still bitter but it was also sickeningly sweet. She began to move to the couch but something on the table caught her eye. Quickly setting her mug down, she pushed the letters away, revealing an envelope with a blue seal. 

_Newt sent a second letter?_ she wondered. She snatched it up and flipped it over. The address was the same but the name . . .

"Queenie Goldstein!" Tina yelled. 

The door to their room slid open and Queenie came out. "What?"

"You wrote to Newt?" she demanded.

"No, I didn't," Queenie said, frowning slightly. "What makes you think I di--" She broke off and her face brightened. "He wrote me a letter? Let me see it!"

Tina scowled, clutching the letter tightly in her hand. "No one's reading any of his letters," she growled.

Her sister let out a frustrated sigh. "What are you so afraid of, Teen?" she asked. "What are you afraid of seeing in his letters? Him telling you that he's marrying Leta? Or that he's not?"

Tina was about to reply but she suddenly remembered that Achilles was in the room. Queenie's gaze flickered to the man then back at her sister. She let out a long sigh. "Okay, then. I won't read the letter. I hate seeing you in so much pain but I know I can't stop you from doing this to yourself." She turned and vanished into her room.

Tina let out a sigh, furiously brushing tears from her eyes.

"How often does this guy write to you?" Achilles asked her from his seat on the couch.

"Every day," Tina admitted, turning to face him.

Achilles looked shocked. "What in the name of Deliverance Dane does he want from you? I ought to tell him to stop bothering you."

Tina laughed slightly and moved over to sit with her boyfriend. She pressed a gentle kiss to his lips. "Thanks, Achilles, but there's no need. He's not bothering me. If I wrote to him and asked him to stop writing to me I know he would."

_Besides_ , Tina admitted to herself. _I don't think I'd like it if he stopped writing to me._


	25. Lost

Newt stared out the window. It was raining, the water running down the glass, blurring the view of the street. His vision was also blurred by the tears forming in his eyes. They ran down his cheeks, dripping from his chin.

Two months. It had been over two months since Tina's last letter. He missed her desperately. She meant everything to him and he didn't know what to do without her. It didn't help that he didn't know what was happening.

The morning's newspaper lay open on the table. A picture of Grindelwald took up most of the front page. He had escaped. It had happened when they had tried to transport him to Europe the day before. Apparently, he had been helped by a former MACUSA employee, Abernathy. Newt remembered meeting Abernathy. He had been Tina's supervisor and Newt recalled that he had been annoyed when he learned Tina had been reinstated as an Auror.

However, the thing about the article that had made Newt the most nervous was that it said a number of Aurors had died. There were no names and Newt couldn't help but think that Tina might have been one of them.

"Please don't let Tina have been one of them," he murmured, pressing his forehead against the cold glass of the window.

There was a figure moving along the street. It turned towards Newt's house and approached the door. There was a knock a moment later.

Newt sighed. Wiping away his tears, he moved away from the window. He pulled open the door and Leta came inside. She closed her umbrella before giving it a good shake. Then she tugged off her coat and hung it up. After closing the door, Newt pulled out his wand to vanish the water that had dripped on the floor and to dry out her shoes and her coat.

"Thanks," she said. 

Newt followed her into the living room.

"What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to see how you were doing." Leta turned to face him. "You've been crying, haven't you?"

Newt nodded hesitantly. "I don't know what to do anymore. It's been so long."

"When was the last time you got a letter from her?"

"The last one came the day of my book signing," Newt replied. "That was March 19. It's the 31st of May. Tomorrow is June!" He dropped into a chair and tried not to start crying again. "I've written to her every day."

Leta pulled a chair up to sit across from him. "I'm really sorry."

"I don't even know if she reads my letters."

"But why are you crying?" Leta reached up and ran a finger over Newt's cheek, brushing away a tear.

"I'm scared," Newt admitted. "I'm scared that she might be dead."

"What makes you think so?"

Newt pointed to the newspaper on the table. Leta stood up and moved to the table. She picked up the paper and quickly read the article on the front page.

"I still don't understand why this makes you think she's dead," Leta said.

"It's not that I think she is dead, I'm just saying that it might be possible. The article says that there were Aurors who died but it doesn't say who. I'm so afraid that she might be one of them. I mean, it's possible."

Leta nodded slowly. "I see."

"I can't keep writing to her," Newt mumbled. "I want to but I think it's all a waste. She doesn't read them, I'm sure she doesn't."

"No one said you had to keep writing," Leta murmured. "Maybe if you don't write for a while she'll begin to wonder what's going on and then she'll write."

Newt sighed. He got to his feet and moved to get a sheet of paper, a bottle of ink, a quill, and an envelope. Smoothing his paper on the table, he uncorked the ink and dipped the quill in it.

"You've never told me her name," Leta observed.

"Tina," he mumbled. "Tina Goldstein." He slowly began writing.

 

_Darling Tina,_

_This is my last letter. I don't know what to do anymore. I love you too much to give up on you but there's nothing I can do. I can't visit you, no matter how much I want to. I've been writing to you, which is the only thing I can do, but you haven't responded. I don't even know if you're reading this._

_I don't even know if you're alive to read my letter. I saw in the paper that Grindelwald escaped and that Aurors were killed. I'm so afraid that one of them was you. My only comfort is that I know you're an amazing woman and an excellent Auror who is more than capable of taking care of herself. I can't stand the thought of you being dead. Besides, I think that, if you were dead, Queenie would have told me._

_I don't understand why neither of you has written. I've written to both of you but I haven't gotten a reply. It hurts so much, Tina. It hurts so much._

_If you haven't been writing because you've decided to move on, then all I can say is that I hope you're happy. As long as you're happy, nothing else matters to me. I only wish you could have been happy with me because I would have loved to spend my life with you. I love you more than anything, Tina. You're a beautiful woman and you're the first woman I've ever fallen in love with. No matter what happens, no matter who you choose to love, I will always love you will all my heart. I won't ever be able to love anyone else. My heart belongs to you now and nothing I can do will change that._

_I'm very sorry this has come to an end. If there's ever anything you need me for, I'll be here. I'll be waiting. I still love you and I miss you so much. Goodbye, darling. Maybe we'll see each other again sometime and, if you haven't moved on, maybe we can be together again. However, if you have moved on, or want nothing to do with me, I'll respect your decision. I love you, Tina._

_Love,_  
_Newt_

 

Newt dropped his quill, a few drops of ink dripping onto the bottom of the page. He was crying freely, his tears splashing onto the page, smudging the words. He felt Leta's hand on his shoulder.

"May I add something to the letter?" she asked gently.

"You read it?"

"No, of course not," Leta murmured. "I just thought that, if she does read it, it might be good for her to have someone else tell how her hard this is for you."

Newt nodded. "Okay."

Leta gently took the quill with her left hand and pulled the letter towards her. She wrote for a few seconds, her engagement ring flashing as her hand moved across the page. When she was done, she handed the paper back to Newt. He glanced at what she had written.

 

_Tina Goldstein:_

_You probably don't know who I am but my name is Leta. Newt and I went to school together and were very close friends. There were some difficulties and we hadn't spoken for a long time but we're friends again now. We need to be able to get along because we're going to be in-laws soon enough as I'm marrying his brother._

_Anyway, now that you know who I am in relation to Newt, I'll tell you why I'm adding something to his letter. He's told me that he doesn't think you're reading his letters but, if you are, I thought it might help for you to hear this from someone other than him._

_Newt is really in pain. He looks so exhausted every day and I don't think he's sleeping well anymore. He was crying when I came to visit him today and he's still crying now. In case you haven't noticed, the paper is covered in smudges from his tears. He misses you so much and he's worried sick about you. It's tearing him apart._

_If you do read this letter, please write to Newt to at least explain why you haven't been writing. He really does love you, I can tell._

_Sincerely,_  
_Leta Lestrange_

 

Newt sniffed and folded up the letter. He slipped it into the envelope, wrote the address on the back, and sealed it closed. He whistled for his owl and gave the letter to him, letting the bird fly out into the night. Leta got to her feet.

"Don't leave," Newt called.

"I'm not leaving," she responded. She pulled her chair over to sit beside Newt and pulled him into a hug. He rested his head on her shoulder and began crying. His tears quickly turned into sobs. He felt Leta press a kiss and then her cheek to the top of his head. Newt clung to her, sobbing his heart out. Tina was gone, he had to admit that. Even if she was still alive, he had lost her forever.


	26. Silent Treatment

Tina sighed, pushing the door to her apartment open. It was after 7:30 and she had just left work. She was exhausted but she wasn't going to admit it. She didn't want to admit that Newt was right, that it wasn't healthy for her, but she knew it wasn't.

Achilles had offered to take her out to dinner but she had refused. She was too tired and all she wanted to do was go to sleep. There was something else she wanted to do but she didn't want to think about it. She wanted to be spending time with Newt in his case, preferably kissing him. 

Quickly shaking the thought from her head, she closed the door behind her and moved further into the room. Queenie moved out from the room.

"Tina!" she called. "I've got something for you!"

"What?" Tina asked, suppressing a yawn.

"Here, let me get it." She moved back into their room, speaking over her shoulder. "I was thinking about saving it for your birthday but I didn't want to wait a month to give it to you."

Tina smiled a weak smile. This was just like Queenie. She was incapable of surprises. She'd plan one but she'd get too excited and end up telling whoever the surprised was for all about it. Tina also suspected that her sister felt guilty about surprising people when no one could surprise her.

The blond woman hurried across the room, carrying a box. She handed it to her sister. Tina glanced up at her, setting the box on the table. She carefully lifted the lid and looked inside.

"Is this another dress?" she asked, mildly annoyed.

"No, Teen," Queenie giggled. "Take it out."

Tina reached into the box and pulled out whatever was inside. It was surprisingly heavy. She pulled it all the way out of the box, holding it at arm's length to get a good look at it. It was a coat made of black leather. She already owned a leather coat, most Aurors did, but she rarely wore it. It wasn't really the best quality and she found it rather uncomfortable. However, this coat was clearly good quality. She pulled it on. It was surprisingly comfortable.

"Oh, I'm so glad you like it!" Queenie grinned.

Tina smiled at her sister. She buttoned the coat and buckled the belt. Her only worry was that she wouldn't be able to move well in it, but when she rolled her shoulder and raised her arms, she realized she was able to move nearly perfectly.

"Thank you, Queenie," she said.

She reached up to adjust the collar, her fingers brushing against the thin gold chain around her neck. The collar was split into two halves that overlapped in the back. The bottom half of the coat was also split into two parts, meaning she'd be able to run easily.

"It looks great on you!" Queenie glanced at the clock. "I've prepared some supper for you. I need to go out."

"Go where?" Tina asked, suddenly suspicious.

Queenie shrugged, waving her hand in a dismissive gesture. "You know, out," she said vaguely.

Tina was suddenly angry. "You didn't, did you?" she exclaimed. Queenie's look was enough to give her an answer. "Queenie how could you? You know you can't do this!"

Tears were forming in Queenie's eyes. "But, Tina, he deserves to know everything that happened. I couldn't stand the holes in his memory."

"There's a law!" Tina fumed. "You're not dating him are you?"

"Well, we--"

"Queenie Goldstein!" she exploded. "You can't do this! There are laws! You're gonna get yourself arrested and Jacob Obliviated!" She didn't add her thoughts. _And I could lose my job!_

"I know, Tina, I know all that but I love him and he loves me," Queenie sobbed.

"So? Sometimes love isn't enough."

Queenie looked up suddenly. "Just because your love life is messed up doesn't mean you have to ruin it for other people. I know you don't really care about the law. I've heard your daydreams. I know you wish Newt would ignore the law and come to New York anyway. You're just jealous because I've got Jacob and you don't have Newt," she accused.

"This is not about Newt!" Tina stormed. "I don't care about Newt! I have Achilles. This is about the law and the fact that you could get arrested!"

"Why can't you just be happy for me?"

"Because I don't want you locked in jail!"

"You're just jealous!" Queenie yelled. She snatched her coat off the hook and ran from the apartment, slamming the door behind her.

Tina was left staring at the dark wood. Suddenly, she burst into tears. Queenie was right. She was jealous. She wanted Newt so badly but she couldn't have him. She hated seeing Queenie so happy because of Jacob, it just reminded her of what she could never have.

_This is how Queenie must have felt when she saw Newt and me together_ , she realized. Tina spun on her heels and quickly made her way to their room. She reached under her bed and pulled out the box that kept all of Newt's letters. Opening it, she pulled out the last one. It had arrived a month ago. She had been tempted to open it several times but she never had. The envelope looked like it had been wet, parts of the paper pinched and some of the ink smudged. 

Tina slowly flipped the letter over. She slid her finger under the flap and opened the letter, careful not to break the blue wax. Then she slowly pulled the letter out and unfolded it. It, like the envelope, looked like it had been wet. Parts of the writing was smudged. She stared at the paper in her hands, not reading the words, merely drinking in the sight of Newt's familiar handwriting. Her own tears fell from her eyes, further smudging the ink. Her eyes wandered over the page, still not reading the words. There were a couple of ink blots at the bottom of the page, as if the ink had dripped from the quill.

The final few paragraphs caught Tina's eye. They weren't written in Newt's handwriting. The letters were beautiful, much more elegant than Newt's, but many of them seemed smudged. _As if written by someone left-handed_ , she realized. Suddenly curious, she glanced at the bottom of the page, searching for a name.

_Leta Lestrange_

Tina's breath caught. She quickly folded up the letter, shoving it back in the envelope. She slipped the envelope back into the box and quickly hid it back under her bed. She collapsed onto the bed, burying her face in her pillow. She was crying again.

_Why did I open that letter?_ she thought angrily.

She needed Newt. Even though she was dating Achilles, she knew she didn't love him. She was fond of him, very fond of him, but she wasn't in love with him. She knew what love felt like. She knew that what she felt for Newt was love, but it didn't matter. He didn't love her.

Tina cried herself to sleep, still in her clothes, her shoes, and her new coat. She hadn't even bothered to climb under the covers or turn out the light. She didn't wake up until the morning.

Queenie wasn't in the room when Tina woke up but the latter knew by the smell that her sister was in the house. She could smell breakfast being cooked and was reminded of how hungry she was. She climbed out of bed and quickly changed, leaving her new coat on the end of her bed. 

Tina left the room just in time to see Queenie closing the door behind her. She had left a plate of food on the table. Tina ate her breakfast slowly, washing up the plate when she was done. 

She didn't see her sister until she arrived home that evening. Neither of them spoke, other than a few short words from Queenie in response to Tina's unspoken requests. Tina knew she should apologize but she was still too furious to actually mean it. 

Days passed and neither of them gave in. Queenie spent very little time in the house and Tina began spending even more time at work. She came home close to 10:00 every night. There would always be a warm plate of food for her both in the morning and when she came home but that was the closest either of them got to apologizing.

Tina hadn't smiled since Newt left. She had always faked a smile for Achilles but it never reached her eyes. An observant person could have seen that her eyes showed how incredibly depressed she was. However, ever since she had stopped talking to her sister, even her fake smiles had vanished. All emotion had left her eyes, leaving them looking dead. There was no light left in her eyes and there was no light left in her life.

_Everyone I loved has left me._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't get the chance to update when I wanted yesterday because I didn't have internet and by the time I learned there was internet where we're staying, I was already in bed. I don't know when I'll be able to get internet again because I'll be spending the week traveling through Scotland, in a camper. I'm currently sitting hunched under the bunk since my brother's still asleep. The good thing is since I don't know when I'll get internet again today . . . I'll post those chapters now rather than later.


	27. Mission

It was August. Tina realized that three days into the month. She was working, having finally convinced Achilles to go back to his own office. 

_August_ , she thought, leaning back in her chair. _Two months since Grindelwald escaped . . . and since Newt's last letter came._

She hated herself for thinking of that but she couldn't help it. She missed receiving a letter from him every day, even though she never read them. She still missed them after having seen that Leta had written something in at least one of them.

Henson appeared in the doorway to her office, knocking on the door. She looked up at him, a vacant expression on her face.

"President Picquery would like to see you," he said.

"Now?" 

"Yes, right away."

Tina sighed and got to her feet. She ran a hand over her hair, trying to smooth it down. Henson led her through the halls of MACUSA, up to the President's office.

"Ah, there you are, Miss Goldstein," Picquery said. "Take a seat."

Tina did and waited for the President to speak.

"We need you for a mission," she said.

Tina held back a sigh. Missions meant spending weeks away from the city . . . with Achilles. She didn't mind spending time with Achilles, they were still dating, but spending that much time with him was more than exhausting. Missions with him were also difficult because he had trouble focusing. He was always trying to get Tina to talk to him when they should have been doing research.

Suddenly, Tina became suspicious. 

"Wait a minute," she said. "If you're assigning me a mission, why are you doing it this way? Why aren't you doing it in a meeting with other Aurors present? And anyway, why isn't Ac-- Tolliver here?"

"Because this is a very important mission that only you can do," Picquery explained. "We're sending you to Paris."

"Paris!" Tina explained. She didn't understand. "Why do I need to go to Paris? Don't they have their own Aurors there?"

"Yes, they do, but this matter concerns us as well and you are the only one who we can trust to do this."

"What am I supposed to do?"

"We need you to track down the Obscurial."

Tina stared at President Picquery. "What Obscurial?" she managed.

"The one who nearly destroyed New York last December. You're the only one he trusts."

Tina winced. She didn't like thinking about that December because it just reminded her of Newt. But she still didn't understand. Credence was dead. She had seen him die.

"Will all due respect," she started slowly. "Credence is dead. You ordered him to be killed."

"He didn't die," Picquery said. "Somehow, he survived. He joined a circus that was touring America. Perhaps you remember it? They were in New York for about two weeks."

"I think I remember hearing something about it. I never went though," Tina replied.

"Yes, well, they will be performing in Paris in September."

Tina frowned slightly. "It's only August. Do you expect me to leave right away?"

"You'll be leaving in about a week and a half, on the fourteenth. You'll be taking a ship to London where you'll spend one night before going on to France."

"Well, what am I supposed to be doing there before the circus comes?"

"Research," Picquery replied. "There are rumors about his identity and we need you to find out who he really is."

Tina nodded slowly. This would be a chance to get away from New York. Away from Achilles, from Queenie and Jacob, from everything that hurt. Besides, she had never left the country before so this would be a first. "Okay, I'll go."

"Excellent. We'll begin making arrangments. You should start preparing to leave."

"How long will I be gone?" Tina asked.

"As long as it takes you to find the boy."


	28. Argument

Tina looked around her office. It was the day before she was leaving but she wasn't going to be going back to the office the next day. She wanted to make sure she had everything she needed. She moved around to look at the bookshelves, trying to see if there was anything useful. When she had decided that there wasn't, she moved back to her desk and started checking in all the drawers.

She pulled out a narrow, cardboard box that sat in one of the drawers and opened it. Then she reached for her quill and gently laid it inside. She put the lid back on the box and set it with the things she was going to take. 

Letting out a long sigh, she left her office in search of Achilles. He wasn't in his office. _Maybe he's in Pace's office_ , she thought with a frown. Jeanette Pace was an Auror with the reputation of being the most beautiful woman in that Department. She was the one who they chose to get information from a man as she could use her charms to make any man reveal anything. Tina, on the other hand, had the reputation of being one of the most dangerous Aurors, someone that nobody wanted to cross. Unfortunately, she also hadn't managed to shake her reputation of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. And this was definitely one of those times.

Tina entered Pace's office to find her and Achilles behind her desk, their arms wrapped tightly around each other, their lips connected in a passionate kiss. She let out a gasp, dropping the book she was holding. The sound of its hard cover hitting the ground startled the pair who jumped apart.

"Tina!" Achilles gasped. He rushed around the desk but Tina had scooped up her book and ran down the hall. When she reached her office, she dumped the book on her desk, quickly scooping up the box and turning to leave. She almost bumped into Achilles.

"Tina, wait," he said. "It's not what you think."

"I think it is," Tina growled, pushing past him. He followed her out of her office and she locked to door behind them. Then she started down the hall, walking quickly.

"No, Tina, please listen," Achilles begged.

Tina stopped, not turning to face him. "What?"

"I swear it was an accident. I didn't mean for that to happen."

Tina spun around. "How in Merlin's name could that have been an accident?" she demanded, wincing at her own use of a British term. "You were in her office!"

"She asked me to help her with something. I didn't know she was going to start kissing me!" Achilles assured her.

"How am I supposed to believe that when I've seen you staring at her during meetings?" Tina demanded.

"How can I not stare at her?" Achilles asked. "I mean, she's a beautiful woman!"

"Oh, so now she's a beautiful woman," Tina said sarcastically. "You've never called me beautiful, or even pretty."

"Well, you are," Achilles said. Tina rolled her eyes. "Besides, I'm not the only one who stares at her. Even Parker stares at her and he's engaged."

"I don't care what Parker does," Tina went on. "Parker's not my boyfriend!" She turned and started walking away quickly. 

"Tina, wait, listen," Achilles called. "Tina, please."

Tina ignored him. She hurried into the elevator, the door sliding shut before Achilles could reach it. The elevator flew upwards, stopping at the entrance to MACUSA. She quickly left the building, finding a corner where she could Disapparate.

_Why does nobody love me?_ she wondered as she made her way along the street to her apartment. _Am I that worthless?_

Queenie was in the kitchen when Tina entered the apartment. It was the first time the sisters had been in the same room while both of them were awake in weeks. Tina realized how strange their relationship had become. It was almost as if they each lived alone, even though they shared a bedroom. 

Queenie muttered something about food and where Tina could find it before quickly vanishing into the bathroom. Tina moved into their room and set down her box. She quickly began sorting through it. Pulling out her suitcase, she finished packing her things. 

Tina knelt on the ground and pulled a box out from under her bed. She stared at it. She wasn't sure why she wanted to bring it, she had no intention of reading the letters. Finally making up her mind, she pointed her wand at the box. She shrunk it a few inches so that it would take up less space before slipping it into her suitcase.

When she had finished packing, she set her suitcase at the end of her bed and went to eat supper. She ate quickly, washed her dishes, and returned to her room. She pulled out her jewelry box and sat on her bed, setting it in front of her. Letting out a long, shaky breath, she slowly reached forward to open it. Then she hesitated. She hadn't opened that box since she had taken off her ring and put it inside. She hadn't had any reason to open it. The only jewelry she wore was the thin gold chain she had on and she never took it off, not even to sleep.

Tina took a deep breath and lifted the lid of the box. There were a few necklaces and bracelets coiled in the bottom. Her engagement ring sat in the center of it all. She reached out shakily and picked it up. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to leave it behind. She wanted to wear it but she knew that would have been inappropriate. Letting out a sigh, she put the ring back in the box and put the box away.

_I'll figure out what to do tomorrow. Now I just need to sleep._


	29. Leaving New York

Tina woke up earlier than usual. Queenie was still asleep. Tina made her way to the bathroom and quickly took a shower. By the time she was out, Queenie was up and cooking breakfast. She set the food on the table and indicated that Tina eat. As she did, her sister vanished into the bathroom.

When Tina finished her breakfast, there was a tap on the door. She made her way over to it and opened it to reveal Achilles. She scowled at him but she let him enter the apartment before Mrs. Esposito could see him.

"What do you want?" she asked.

"I came to apologize," Achilles replied, looking at her imploringly. "I've told you that I didn't mean for that to happen, I promise. I don't have any excuse and I'm really sorry."

Tina let out a sigh. She wanted to push him away. This would be the perfect excuse to get rid of him. _Maybe it's just best for me not to get attached to anyone. Then I can't get hurt when they leave me because they're all just gonna leave me._

But Tina couldn't do it. Even though she didn't love Achilles, she was fond of him and didn't want to break his heart.

"I forgive you," she said.

Achilles's face broke into a smile. "Oh, thank goodness," he breathed. He pulled her into a hug and pressed a kiss to her lips. She returned it and they broke apart a few minutes later. 

"Are you really leaving today?" Achilles asked.

Tina nodded. "Yes, I leave in about ten minutes."

"Can I walk you to the dock?"

"Uh--" Tina hesitated. She didn't want to say yes. The thought of walking along that dock with Achilles, the same dock that she had walked along with Newt, seemed wrong. "I'd rather go alone."

"Oh, okay then." He looked disappointed but he didn't argue. "I suppose I should go now."

Tina nodded as she pulled on her coat. It was the coat Queenie had given her. She hadn't worn it before but she wanted to wear it now.

"Maybe that'd be best," she agreed.

Achilles pulled Tina back into a hug. He kissed her passionately. She returned the kiss, running her fingers through his hair. His arms slid around her waist, pulling her closer. She moved her second hand to his back, clutching his coat. The kiss lasted for a few minutes before they had to break apart.

"I'm going to miss you, Tina," Achilles said.

Tina managed to fake a smile and nodded in response. "Goodbye, Achilles," she replied. He kissed her again and left the apartment. 

Tina sighed and moved into her room. She was surprised to see a small box and a folded slip of parchment on her bed. Slowly reaching towards them, she took the paper and opened it.

 

_Dear Tina,_

_I know we're still both upset at each other but, no matter what happens, no matter how we feel about each other, we'll always be sisters. Nothing can change that. I know I'm going to miss you once you've left._

_I got you something that I think you'll find useful. It solves the problem you were having yesterday before you went to bed. I think you'll understand what to do with it._

_I do love you and I'll miss you._

_Always your sister,_  
_Queenie_

 

Tina felt a sad smile creep onto her lips. A few tears blurred her vision. After swiping at her eyes, she reached down and picked up the box. She lifted the lid.

The only thing inside it was a long silver chain. She pulled it out and looked at it. There was nothing hanging from it. She glanced at it curiously, unsure what it was for. She read through the letter again.

_What problem was I having last night?_

"Oh," she murmured. She quickly moved over to her dresser and pulled out her jewelry box. She opened it and took out the ring. Then she unclasped the chain and slid the ring onto it, clasping it around her neck. She carefully tucked the ring under her shirt where no one could see it and where it would be safe.

She tucked the note into her pocket and quickly found a small piece of paper. She grabbed a quill and scribbled a quick message.

 

_Dear Queenie,_

_Thank you very much for the chain. I'm going to miss you too. Please take care of yourself and don't do anything rash. I love you._

_Your sister,_  
_Tina_

 

She folded the paper and set it on Queenie's pillow. Then she left the apartment and made her way to a corner where she Apparated to the docks.


	30. London

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is one of my favorite chapters. . . . It's also really sad.

Tina moved through customs nervously. She had never done this before but it went smoothly enough. This was her first time out of the United States and she was in England, in London. 

As she began walking through the city, she pulled her coat tighter around her. London was colder than New York and it was drizzling. She pulled out a slip of paper from her pocket and read the address again. She knew that the only way she was going to get to that address was if she took a taxi. Moving towards the street, Tina hailed a taxi. When it stopped, she showed the address to the driver and asked if he could take her there. He said he could and she climbed in.

When the taxi finally came to a stop, Tina paid the driver. She had been given enough British No-Maj money to get around and some British Wizard money so she could get a place to stay. She climbed out of the cab and looked along the street. The address she had been given was really just the name of a street. She began walking along it until she came to the building she was looking for. It was a small, neat building with a sign hanging above it. The sign said 'The Leaky Cauldron'. 

Tina glanced around. None of the No-Majs seemed to see that this building existed. She wasn't too surprised. It was nestled between a bookshop and an antique store. She ducked into the building, finding herself in a dimly lit pub. Making her way to the counter, she asked if she could spend a night.

The woman behind the counter nodded, pulling out a book. 

"Please fill this out."

Tina took the quill and began writing. The page asked for her full name, gender, age, birthday, height, eye color, hair color, and a few other, stranger details. It asked how many nights she was staying so she wrote '1'. Then it asked for the date. She knew that they wrote the date differently in England but she couldn't remember how. Glancing at the entry before, she remembered. 

_Right, it's day then month, not month then day._

She touched her quill to the paper and carefully wrote the date.

_18/8/27_

She handed the book back to the woman who came around and motioned for Tina to follow her. She led her up the stairs and to a small room.

"Here you go," the woman said. "Here's your key."

"Thanks," Tina murmured, taking the key. She entered the room and dropped her case to the floor. Then she flopped on the bed and fell asleep.

 

Tina woke up with a start. She had been dreaming . . . about Newt. They had been together, hugging, about to kiss. And then she had woken up. She wished she was still sleeping, still dreaming, but she knew it was over. Even if she went back to sleep, she wouldn't have the same dream.

Sighing, she climbed off the bed and straightened her coat. She slipped out of the room, locking the door behind her. Then she left the pub and glanced along the street. She could see a number of tall buildings so she quickly found a hidden corner and Apparated to the top of one of them. 

Tina sat on the edge of the building, letting her feet hang over the street. She leaned back on her hands and let out a sigh. The city lay stretched out below her, the lights twinkling in the darkness. She heard a clock strike the hour. It was midnight. 

Suddenly remembering what the date was, she felt a tear drip down her cheek. 

"Happy birthday to me," she muttered. 

Tina sat on the roof of the building for a long time, staring out across the city. This was London.

_Newt lives in London._

She had his address, she knew it by heart. It would be so easy to take a taxi and go visit him, assuming he hadn't moved, but she didn't think that would be right.

_He and Leta might already be married and living together. I can't visit them. Besides, it's the middle of the night. He'll be asleep._

Tina felt more tears stream down her cheeks.

_I still love him. Why do I still have to love him?_ She climbed to her feet. _I can always go see where he lives, or lived. It won't hurt to look at his house. Besides, it's my birthday and I won't be getting any presents. This will be my birthday present._

Tina Disapparated, appearing in the same corner she had left from. She made her way back to the street and hailed a taxi. Climbing into the car, she gave the driver Newt's street address and sat back. Tina fought back more tears as they drove through the streets of London. They finally came to a stop. She climbed out of the car and paid the driver. Then she slowly began walking along the street until she found the house she wanted.

She stared across the street at the small house. All the windows were dark. Tina took a seat in the shadows, just staring at the house. She didn't know why, but she didn't want to leave. Several more minutes went by before she finally decided to get to her feet.

Before she could stand up, one of the windows on the first floor lit up. A few minutes later, the curtain shifted and a figure appeared in the window. Tina gasped and pulled back instinctively, even though she knew she couldn't be seen. She knew who the figure was, she could recognize that face anywhere.

_Newt._

Tina wanted to run across the street and knock on the door, to beg Newt to come back to her, but she knew she couldn't. 

Newt ran a hand through his hair and took a sip from a mug he was holding. He leaned his forehead against the window, his breath fogged the glass and he absentmindedly traced a heart in the condensation. He wrote a couple of letters in the heart. Tina was too far away to see what they were but she knew what they must have said.

_N + L_

Suddenly, Newt swiped at the glass with his arm, wiping the moisture away with his sleeve. He pulled away from the window, letting the curtain fall closed again. Tina didn't wait to see how long he would stay awake. Instead, she Disapparated, quickly making her way back to her room where she threw herself on her bed and cried herself to sleep.

____

Newt started awake. He had been dreaming about Tina again. He dreamed about her nearly every night and nearly all those dreams were nightmares. He had gotten used to waking up in the middle of the night. Usually, he could just roll over and go back to sleep but this time was different. 

He shoved his blankets away and climbed out of bed. He made his way down to the kitchen and began boiling water. Opening a cupboard, he reached for tea but he quickly changed his mind. Instead, he grabbed the coffee and prepared himself a cup of the warm, dark liquid. This time he didn't bother adding milk and sugar. He wanted it to taste the way Tina liked it.

Newt sipped at the hot liquid, not caring that it was burning his mouth. It was very bitter but it reminded him of Tina. It was the same flavor he remembered tasting on Tina's lips every time he kissed her. 

The clock struck the hour. It was one in the morning. He caught a glimpse of the calendar in the room. _19 August._ He let out a quiet gasp. _It's Tina's birthday._

He wandered over to the window. Pushing the curtain away, he stared out into the night. He always looked out the window when he really missed Tina. He knew it faced New York and it was the closest he could get to seeing her. 

"Happy birthday, darling," he murmured, looking up into the sky. He couldn't see any stars. He wanted to but this was London. The city lights washed out the sky.

As he looked along the street, he thought he saw something moving in the shadows.

_I'm just seeing things_ , he told himself. 

He looked up again, running a hand through his hair. He sipped at the bitter drink. Part of him wanted to go buy a boat ticket and go to New York, even if he got arrested once he came back.

_Of course, if Tina's still willing to have me, then I wouldn't have to come back. I could stay with her forever._

Newt leaned forward, resting his forehead against the window. His breath fogged the glass so he absentmindedly traced a heart in the condensation. A small smile tugged on his lips as he slowly traced two letters in the heart.

_N + T_

_I love you, Tina. I only wished you loved me too._

Suddenly angry, he swiped at the glass with his arm, wiping away the moisture with his sleeve. He stepped away from the window, letting the curtain fall shut. He dumped the last bit off coffee down the sink, turned the light out, and quickly made his way back to his room where he threw himself on his bed and cried himself to sleep.


	31. Paris

Tina wandered through the streets of Paris, slowly making her way towards Place Cachée. She had been in Paris for almost three weeks but she hadn't made much progress. She had done everything she could but she couldn't seem to find any information about who Credence was. It was impossible and Tina was feeling more hopeless every day. 

In her pocket was a report about what she had done, explaining that she hadn't made any progress. At this point, she knew she was just waiting for the circus to show up so that she could actually find Credence.

Tina reached the bronze statue. A guard was standing in front of it. Slipping behind him, she quickly pulled out her wand and murmured a spell.

" _Confundus_." 

The man doubled over, giggling. Tina looked up at the statue. It leaned down and pulled the bronze fabric away from the base. Tina ducked through the cement. She quickly made her way along the street until she reached the Post Office. After sending the report, she glanced around the small shop, her eyes falling on the postcards.

Tina wandered over to the rack of postcards and slowly began looking through them.

_Maybe I should write to Queenie. Just to let her know I'm okay, and to let her know I'm sorry._

Having made up her mind, she purchased a postcard of the bronze statue that guarded Place Cachée. Then she saw another postcard with a dragon on it. Before she could change her mind, she bought that one as well. Picking up a quill, she quickly wrote a message.

 

_My Dear Queenie,_

_What a beautiful city._

_Am thinking of you._

_Tina x_

 

Tina wrote the address. Then she turned to the second postcard. After a moment's hesitation, she began to write.

 

_Dear Newt,_

_I hope you're well. Congratulations on your engagement. I'm sure you and Leta will be happy. I only wish you could have been happy with me._

_I miss you and I still love you. I will never stop loving you and I sincerely hope you're happy._

_Always yours,_  
_Tina x_

 

Tina addressed the postcard. She stared at it. Writing it had been satisfying but she knew she couldn't send it. Newt was marrying Leta and this letter would have been very inappropriate. She pocketed the postcard but she still sent the other one to her sister. She quickly made her way back to her hotel room where she flopped onto her bed.

Slipping her fingers under the collar of her shirt, she found the longer chain and pulled it out from under her shirt. Lying on her back, she fidgetted with the silver ring that hung from it. She stared up at the ceiling, her tears slowly falling from her eyes. She was alone. The only people she had ever loved were all miles away, and they had all abandoned her.

She unclasped the chain and pulled the ring off it. She slipped the ring on her finger, pocketing the chain. She knew she couldn't wear it forever but she needed to wear it just for that one night. She missed Newt too much and wanted to pretend that, at least for right now, everything was okay.


	32. Frustration

Newt walked through the streets of London, not bothering to Apparate. He was annoyed. His day had been awful. He had spent ages in the Ministry, just waiting for his hearing. He had finally been taken to it, only to be asked to hunt down and kill the very person he and Tina had tried to protect. And then Grimson had taken the job.

Newt had started home, only to be stopped by Dumbledore. He couldn't believe that his favorite, former professor had asked him to leave the country. He had refused, nearly saying that if he was going to risk getting thrown in jail, it would be to travel in the opposite direction. But Dumbledore had insisted he needed to go, giving him an address to a safe house despite his protests. 

_Credence is still alive_ , he thought as he made his way along his street. _He didn't die and he's in Paris. And people say he's Leta's brother._ This last bit of information had shocked him the most. Leta's brother was supposed to be dead, and yet people thought that he was Credence.

However, the worst part of it was the thought that his travel ban hadn't been lifted. He was getting desperate. He needed to see Tina. Even if she had moved on and didn't want him anymore, he wanted to know that she was alive and safe and well. _And happy. As long as she's happy, that's enough._

Newt climbed the stairs to his house, digging in his pocket for his keys. As he was halfway up the steps, the light in the window came on. Then it went out before coming on again. It continued flicking on and off as Newt glanced behind him. He quickly entered the house. Carefully pushing open the door to the living room, he peeked inside. 

One of the baby Nifflers, the solid black one named Persimmon, was swinging from the lamp chain, causing the lamp to switch on and off continually. The chain finally broke and Persimmon fell to the table. She noticed Newt as she began shoving the chain in her pouch. She continued to stare at him as she let the chain slid through her tiny paws. Newt let out an annoyed sigh and Persimmon dashed across the table, jumping up to the mantelpiece. 

A noise caught Newt's attention and he turned to see the brown baby Niffler, Pumpkin, sitting on one side of the scale, trying to shove the weights in her pocket.

Persimmon was running across the table now. Newt took a small pot and dropped it over the Niffler. The creature continued running and he followed her around the table. He took an apple from the bowl and threw it over his shoulder. It landed on the empty side of the scale, sending Pumpkin flying through the air.

Newt caught Persimmon as she ran off the table. Dropping her in his coat pocket, he spun around just in time to catch Pumpkin there as well. He pulled open the door to his basement and was about to start down when another sound stopped him.

Turning, he saw a third Niffler, Pumpernickel, pulling at the shiny gold foil around the top of a bottle of champagne. He tugged on the cork, pushing against the mouth of the bottle. Suddenly, the cork popped out, flying across the room, carrying the little grey and white creature with it. It hit the wall and bounced down the stairs.

"Bunty!" Newt called, following Pumpernickel into the basement. The Niffler bounced down the stairs with the cork. He landed in a patch of snow where he happily began tearing at the gold foil.

"Bunty?" Newt called again, searching for his assistant. He glanced over the rail. Bunty was a couple of floors down, working with a creature. "Bunty!" She looked up at him. "Bunty, the baby Nifflers are loose again."

The red-haired woman moved quickly. She grabbed a glove and pulled it on. Then she carefully approached the little creature, holding out her hand. Pumpernickel jumped at the shiny chain that hung from the glove and Bunty was able to scoop him up.

"Well done," Newt congratulated.

"So sorry, Newt," she said, taking the other Nifflers from him. "They must have picked the lock while I was cleaning out the Augeries."

"Not to worry," Newt replied. He pushed past her and made his way down the stairs to check on his creatures. Pulling off his coat, he hung it up in his shed as he went past.

"I've fed nearly everyone," Bunty said as she locked the Nifflers away. "Binky's had his nose drops and--"

"And Elsie?"

"Elsie's droppings are nearly normal again."

"Wonderful," Newt said. He began giving a Mooncalf its eyedrops. "You can -- Um -- You can clock off now."

Bunty looked reluctant. Letting out a gasp, she held out her hand. Her index finger was wrapped in a bandage.

"I told you to leave the Kelpie to me," Newt chided.

"That wound needs more ointment."

"I don't want you losing fingers over it," Newt replied. He put the eyedropper away and moved towards the Kelpie's lake. Bunty followed after him.

Newt pulled off his jacket as he descended the final staircase. He hung it on the railing and began unbuttoning his waistcoat.

"Seriously," Newt said as he pulled off the waistcoat and hung it where the jacket had been. "You go home now, Bunty." He was tired. It had been a long day and he wanted to be alone. He began rolling up his sleeves. "You must be exhausted."

But Bunty refused. "You know the Kelpie's easier with two," she argued, picking up Newt's waistcoat.

Newt continued to roll up his sleeves.

"Perhaps you should take off your shirt."

Newt turned to look at her. She was watching him, a curious expression on her face. 

_There it is again. Always with the shirt. Why?_

"Don't worry," he assured her. "I'll dry off quick enough." Then he lept backward off the platform, plunging into the deep water. He swam away from the edge, waiting for the Kelpie to appear.

When it did, he let it swim past him once before grabbing on the second time. He quickly maneuvered it to the surface where it lept out of the water. Newt let out an excited shout before he was dunked back under the water. Finally gaining control of the beast, he guided it towards the platform.

"Someone needed to let off some steam," he said. _And that includes me_ , he thought.

"Ointment, Bunty," he called as he climbed onto the platform.

Bunty offered him the jar and he took a handful of the paste out of it. He tried to rub it on the Kelpie's wound, despite the creatures attempts to get away.

"You bite Bunty again and there'll be trouble, Mister," he scolded.

Bunty was holding a bucket of feed up and the Kelpie began to eat.

Suddenly, they heard a crash from upstairs.

"What was that?" Bunty asked as the Kelpie swam away.

"I don't know," Newt admitted, getting to his feet. "But I want you to go home now, Bunty."

"Shall I call the Ministry?"

"No," Newt said quickly. He wanted nothing more to do with the Ministry. "I want you to go home, please," he begged, rubbing the ointment off his hands.

He stepped past her, pulling out his wand. As he began climbing the stairs, he cast a spell to dry off his clothes. 

Newt crept through his house, following the sound of excited whispers and giggles. He held his wand ready, not sure what to expect. What he found surprised him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, sorry I missed yesterday but I literally had no internet. I tried to get some but . . . yeah.
> 
> Anyway, to make up for that, I'm posting two more chapters! . . . again. I don't think you'll complain.


	33. Old Friends

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I added a deleted scene to this chapter because I loved it so much.

Newt carefully approached his living room. He could hear whispers and giggles. They sounded familiar but he couldn't quite place it.

"Just give me the vase," one voice said. 

"I got it," a second voice said, speaking before the first finished.

"Just give me the vase. Honey, if you could just give it to me," the first voice begged. It was clearly a woman. "Just give it to me."

"He doesn't care," the second voice laughed before the woman finished. It was a man's voice.

"Just give it to me. If you could just give this to me. Sweetheart . . ." 

Newt rounded the corner to see two familiar figures on the other side of the room. Jacob was laughing, a broken vase in his hands. Queenie was leaning over him, her coat halfway off, trying to take the broken ceramic from him. They looked up and saw Newt standing there. He entered the room, gasping quietly. The couple's faces lit up.

Jacob dropped the vase on the floor where the ceramic broke into several more pieces. He started towards Newt, his arms outstretched.

"Heeeeey! Newwwwt!" He called, continuing towards the startled man. "Get over here, you maniac." Laughing, he pulled Newt into a hug which the latter awkwardly returned.

Queenie had picked up her wand and mended the vase. Then she had pulled off her coat and was hanging it on a hook.

"We hope you don't mind, Newt. We let ourselves in," she breathed. "It's raining out there, cats and dogs." She flashed Newt a winning smile. "London's cold."

Newt was smiling for the first time in months. It was wonderful to be seeing his friends again.

"Do you remember everything?" he asked Jacob.

His friend let out a happy laugh. "Like you said, I didn't remember any of the bad parts." He had pulled off his coat and dropped it on the ground. Queenie had moved to pick it up. "But this angel--" Jacob turned, looking for Queenie. "This angel over here, she filled me in on all those parts and -- uh -- here we are, I guess." 

Jacob pulled Queenie into a hug, resting his head on her shoulder.

"This is wonderful!" Newt exclaimed as the pair giggled happily. As he watched them clinging to each other, he felt a pang of jealousy. He wished he could be hugging Tina at that moment. _Wait . . . Tina._ Newt's heart gave a giant leap. "Wait is--" He stepped past the hugging couple. "Tina?" he called. "Tina?" he repeated, looking into the hall, searching for the dark-haired woman. "Darling?" he added in a whisper.

"Wha- It's just us, honey," Queenie told him. "Me and Jacob."

Newt felt his heart sink. _She's not here. She's really gone._

"Why don't I make us some dinner, huh?" she continued.

"Yes!" Jacob agreed quickly. They began giggling again and Queenie moved to prepare the food. 

Newt slowly made his way to the table, sinking into a chair. 

_Tina's not here. Why isn't she here?_

Newt knew there were reasons. She could have been working. He knew how busy her job kept her, but he also knew that she had earned herself quite a lot of vacation time and it would have been easy enough for her to get off work. But Queenie had seemed to expect that Newt knew she wasn't coming. She had seemed surprised to see him looking for her.

_Did they write me a letter telling me they were coming and Tina wasn't? Did I just not get the letter? Has Tina been sending me letters this whole time and I just haven't been receiving them?_

But Newt didn't know what reason there would be for him to not receive her letters.

_Maybe it's the Ministry? Maybe they're stopping my mail because they're trying to end my connections with America._

Newt pushed this idea aside. He knew that wasn't right. He and Tina had sent many letters to each other, sometimes through wizard post, and sometimes through Muggle post. Even if the Ministry decided to block his letters, they couldn't have stopped the ones sent through Muggle post.

He glanced up at Queenie. She was cooking. Jacob stood behind her, his arms wrapped around her waist and his chin resting on her shoulder. Newt thought there was something different about Queenie. There were the obvious differences, like her hair which was no longer in the tight curls it had been in the last time he had seen her, but there was something else, something he couldn't quite put a finger on.

_"People are easiest to read when they're hurting."_

Newt didn't know why he had remembered that. Queenie had said it to him the first time they had met, while they were down in his case, discussing Leta.

_That's what's different_ , he realized suddenly.

She had read him easily while he was thinking about Leta because her memory hurt and yet, now that Newt was really hurting, hurting even more than he had been then, Queenie seemed oblivious. She hadn't known Newt thought Tina would be there. She had seemed genuinely confused as to why he was looking for her. And now that he was thinking about Tina, and in so much pain because of it, it was like she couldn't hear a thought in his head.

Newt glanced up at them again. Jacob never said anything but Queenie was whispering things to him occasionally so Newt knew she could still read his mind.

_I suppose she's just so focused on Jacob that she's not hearing anything I'm thinking._

Queenie turned and placed the food on the table. Then she gently sat Jacob down, pushing his head back with her fingers. She leaned over him, tucking a napkin under his collar. As Newt watched, all he could think about was Tina.

Queenie glanced over her shoulder. "Teen and I aren't talking," she said casually, adjusting the napkin.

"Why?" Newt asked, surprised. The sisters had always been so close.

"Oh, well, you know," she responded, beginning to serve Jacob food. "She found out about Jacob and I seeing each other and she didn't like it, 'cause of the law. Not allowed to-- Whoop!" She broke off, taking the fork and knife from Jacob's hands and beginning to cut his food. "Not allowed to date No-Majs, not allowed to marry them, blah, blah, blah." The blond woman rolled her eyes. "Well, she was _all_ in a tizzy anyway, 'cause of you."

"Me?" Newt asked, looking at her in surprise.

"Yeah, you, Newt," she replied, serving another plate of food.

"But why? She was the one who wasn't writing."

Queenie glanced at him curiously. "It was in _Spellbound_ ," she said as if that answered everything. She pointed her wand into the other room. "Here, I brought it for you."

A green magazine whizzed through the air, dropping on the table in front of Newt. He briefly caught a glimpse of a couple of pictures of himself on the cover before the magazine's pages began turning. Queenie stopped them with her wand. The page showed a picture of Newt at his book signing with Leta, Theseus, and Bunty.

"Newt Scamander with fiancée Leta Lestrange, brother Theseus, and unknown woman," Queenie recited.

Newt stared at the page, realizing what Queenie meant. "No, so-- Theseus is marrying Leta, not me," he corrected, looking up at the blond witch. "I'm marrying your sister, at least, I was."

"Oh!" Queenie beamed. Then her face fell. "Oh," she repeated, her tone serious. "Oh. Oh, dear." She took a seat beside Jacob and looked at Newt nervously. "Well . . . See, Teen read that and, uh, she got real mad. She thought you had just been using her. And when your letter continued to act like everything was normal . . . Uh, she started dating someone else. He's an Auror. His name's Achilles Tolliver."

"Tolliver!" Jacob said, bursting into laughter. Queenie joined him but Newt stared at the table. His heart felt like it had been shattered into a million pieces. Not only had he lost Tina forever, she thought he had used her. She believed he had only thought of her as someone he could have some fun with before getting married. And she thought he had left him for Leta. Newt wanted to cry, but he had done enough of that lately.

"Anyway." Queenie's voice pulled Newt out of his thoughts. She had begun pouring champagne in a glass. "We are real excited to be here, Newt. This is a-- well, it's a special trip for us. You see, Jacob and I--" She turned to smile and Jacob then looked back at Newt. "We're getting married!"

The two of them started laughing again and Newt looked between them.

"I'm marrying Jacob!" his friend exclaimed, holding out his glass before splashing the champagne on his face. Queenie giggled and let out a happy squeak, confetti flying from the end of her wand.

Newt had thought Jacob had been acting strangely all evening and he finally understood why.

_You've enchanted him, haven't you?_ he thought.

She looked at Jacob. "What?" she said with a nervous laugh. She grabbed the napkin and began dabbing at his face. "I have not," she said firmly.

"Will you stop reading my mind?" Newt asked, embarrassed. _Queenie, you've brought him here against his will._

"Oh, that is an outrageous accusation. Look at him," she said, continuing to wipe Jacob's face. "He's just happy, so happy." The pair of them smiled at each other.

Newt got to his feet, pulling out his wand. "Then you won't mind if I, um--"

Queenie was on her feet in an instant, standing in front of Jacob. He hugged her arm and began planting kisses on the green fabric. "Please don't." 

"Queenie, you've got nothing to fear if he wants to get married," Newt promised, his wand pointed at his friend. "We can just, lift the enchantment, and he can tell us himself."

Queenie looked nervous but she pulled her arm away from Jacob and stepped back.

"What you got there?" Jacob asked. "Whatcha got there?" he repeated, sounding suspicious. "Whatcha going to do with that, Mr. Scamander?"

Newt stepped forward slightly. " _Surgito_." 

The magic began to leave Jacob in thick wisps of pink, making the man jerk about uncontrollably. Newt flicked his wand up and the magic rose to form a large heart which seemed to beat twice before exploding, dissipating into the air. Jacob grunted, looking around him with surprise.

"Congratulations on your engagement, Jacob," Newt said.

"Wait, what?"

Newt looked up at Queenie who offered him a small smile.

"Oh, no. You didn't," Jacob said.

Queenie turned quickly, grabbing her suitcase.

"Queenie," Jacob barked. He turned to Newt. "Just a second."

The young woman grabbed her coat off the hook and left the room. 

"Queenie!" Jacob repeated. "It's very nice to see you," he told Newt. "Where the hell am I right now?"

"Uh, uh, London," Newt stammered.

"Ugh," Jacob exclaimed, letting his arm fall heavily to his side. "I always wanted to go here!" He left the room. "Queenie!"

Newt stood there, left in shock. Everything was wrong. Queenie, one of the sweetest and most innocent people he knew, had enchanted Jacob, virtually kidnapping him. She had brought him here against his wishes and was going to force him to marry her. And Tina . . .

_She's all alone. I wasn't able to be there for her and now she doesn't even have a sister._ Then he remembered what Queenie had said. _She's not alone. She has Tolliver._

Newt felt a tear roll down his cheek. He quickly wiped it away.

_As long as she's happy_ , he told himself. _As long as she's happy with Tolliver._

Something on the floor caught his eye. Moving around the table towards it, he pointed his wand at it.

" _Papyrus reparo_ ," he murmured. The bits of paper rose from the ground, coming together to form a postcard. Newt took it from the air and studied it. The picture was of a statue of a young woman. The corner of it said 'Paris'. Newt flipped it over and nearly gasped. There was Tina's familiar handwriting, just as he remembered it.

 

_My Dear Queenie,_

_What a beautiful city._

_Am thinking of you._

_Tina x_

 

Newt looked up suddenly. He didn't care anymore. He knew what he needed to do.

Pocketing the postcard, he rushed down into his basement. He tugged on his waistcoat and jacket before quickly beginning to pack. He pulled out his case and set it open on the table. The picture of Tina was still stuck to the inside of the lid.

Newt hastily began scribbling notes for Bunty, reminding her of what needed to be done and one to let her know he was leaving, taking the Nifflers with him. 

He grabbed his coat and pulled it on before making his way over to where he kept his Hinkypunk.

"Hey, Newt!" Jacob's voice came floating through the basement.

"Uh, down here, Jacob," he replied. "So, I'll be with you in a second." His friend appeared by the case a few moments later. Newt quickly made his way over to him.

"Incoming!" he called.

"Hey," Jacob greeted excitedly. He watched as Newt raised the small metal and glass cage he was holding above the case. "Whatcha got there?"

"Oh, it's a Hinkypunk," Newt explained. "So, it disrupts tracking charms."

He dropped it into his case before quickly moving to his shed.

"You going somewhere?" Jacob asked.

Newt turned to look at his friend. "No, we're going somewhere." Jacob looked confused so he hastened to explain. "Queenie left a postcard," he said. "Tina's in Paris, looking for Credence." The last part was just a guess but he suspected it was true. He had been asked by both the Ministry and by Dumbledore to go to Paris to find Credence and he knew how upset Tina had been when they hadn't been able to save him. She would jump at an opportunity to go find him.

"Genius!" Jacob exclaimed. "Queenie's gonna go straight for Tina."

Newt moved over to his case and closed the lid.

"Okay, we're going to France, pal." Jacob turned. "Uh, hold on. I'll get my jacket."

"I've got it," Newt called, pulling out his wand and pointing towards the main part of the house. Jacob's coat flew down, landing in his arms.

"Huh," he said, turning to face Newt who proceeded to blast him with warm air from his wand, drying his clothes. Jacob adjusted his jacket. "Beautiful," he declared, a huge smile on his face.

Newt smiled as well. It was great to have Jacob back and the thought of seeing Tina again made him even more excited. Snatching his case off the table, he set it on the floor and opened it. Then he pointed his wand and the Niffler's cage, unlocking it. He pulled a coin out of his pocket.

"Come on!" he called. "I don't think it's reasonable to ask Bunty to cope with everyone in here and a bunch of newborns so," he explained as the little creatures scurried out of their cage.

"Are you insane?" Jacob asked. "You're gonna pack the Nifflers now?"

Newt flipped the coin into the case. It was currently opening to the top of the Niffler's burrow and a young tree came up out of it.

"In you hop," he coaxed as the Nifflers reached it. Pumpkin and Persimmon began crawling over the edge. Newt helped the latter as Pumpernickel jumped onto the tree, hanging from a branch.

"You remember what happened last time?" Jacob demanded.

"I've fixed the lock," Newt explained. "So nothing gets out without my say so." He looked up and whistled. The larger Niffler came out from the corner. "Come on," he called. The Niffler just sat, eyeing Newt suspiciously. "Get a move on."

He still didn't move so Newt let out a sigh and got to his feet. 

"All right then. _Accio_ necklace." A silver necklace appeared at the end of his wand. The Niffler saw it and quickly started forward. He grabbed onto it and Newt lifted him up so that he was hanging at eye level. "Now, you, set a good example," he scolded before letting both the necklace and the Niffler drop into the case. Then he snapped it shut and scrambled to his feet. He and Jacob started up the stairs.


	34. Slow Progress

Tina finished packing her bag, shrinking it to fit in her pocket. She cast a spell to make sure she hadn't left anything in the room. Then she went down to the reception and checked out of the hotel. Today had been her last day in Paris. Whether she managed to get Credence or not, she wasn't spending another night in the city. If she found Credence, she'd be taking him with her back to America. If she didn't find Credence, she'd be leaving France, spending another night in London before following the circus to its next stop.

At least, that was the plan. Of course, Tina's plans rarely went the way they were supposed to. She hoped that this time would be different.

Leaving the hotel, she made her way to Place Cachée. As she approached the statue, the woman responded to her presence, leaning down to pull her bronze skirt away from the entrance. Tina turned slowly, making sure no one was looking, then quickly ducked through the concrete. She found herself on a noisy street. 

The circus was in full swing. There were a couple of tents at one end of the street. Fireworks burst overhead, forming the shape of a large creature Tina didn't recognize.

Tina walked slowly through the crowd, looking around carefully. Her face held no emotion, it rarely did. Her eyes held even less. She passed a cage, a large beast cramped inside. She recognized it as the one the fireworks had formed but she didn't know what it was. It was hunkered down, staring out from behind its flowing, magenta tail. 

A flash of anger passed through her. This creature was being mistreated, cramped in a cage that was too small for it so that people could stare and laugh at it. Tina wanted to help it.

_If only Newt were here. He'd know what to do._

Quickly shoving these thoughts from her head, she moved on. Passing a couple of people who were spitting a stream of fire between each other, she ducked into a tent. A crowd of people surrounded an empty cage, the circus ringmaster paced in front of it.

"Next, in our little show of freaks and oddities," he started. "I present to you: a Maledictus!"

A young, black-haired woman dressed in blue emerged from the back of the cage. Tina instantly felt sorry for her. Not only did she carry this disease that would one day ruin her life, she was a prisoner because of it. The crowd was gasping appreciatively and Tina was reminded once again of just how cruel the world could be.

"Once trapped in the jungles of Indonesia, she is the carrier of a blood curse," the ringmaster explained. "Such under beings are destined through the course of their lives to turn permanently into beasts."

The crowd oohed and ahhed again. Tina moved further into the tent, away from the entrance.

"But look at her, so beautiful. Yes, so desirable." The ringmaster turned to face her. "But soon, she will be trapped forever in a very different body," he spat. "Every night, when she sleeps, _madames et monsieurs_ , she is forced to become . . ." He raised his hands to the audience.

The people in the tent burst into laughter. Nothing had happened. The young woman had turned and was staring into the back of the tent. Tina pushed to the front of the crowd and glanced in the direction the woman was looking. There, in the shadows, was . . .

_Credence._

"She is forced to become . . ." the ringmaster repeated dramatically. 

Still, nothing happened.

"She is forced to beco--" He broke off, hitting the cage angrily with his staff.

The woman turned slowly, facing the audience. Then she twisted backward, he arms, legs, and torso slowly transforming, changing into the scaly body of a snake.

"Over time, she will not be able to turn back." The ringmaster turned to face the cage, grabbing hold of the bars with one hand. "She will be forever trapped in the body of a snake."

The snake raised her head, a forked tongue flicking between scaly lips.

Suddenly, there was a shout and a crash. The snake lunged forward, through the bars, hitting the ringmaster in the chest. People screamed. There were a handful of tiny creatures flying through the tent, setting fire to the fabric. Tina acted quickly, Apparating out of the tent. She turned around, desperate to find Credence. Everyone around her was in a panic, running from the burning tent.

Tina instinctively began running in a direction. Pointing her wand at a tent, she put out the flames as she passed. She ran down the street but she stopped abruptly. The large creature in the cage had burst free and was roaring at everyone around it.

She saw something out of the corner of her eye. She turned.

"Credence!" she called, running in the direction she believed she had seen him. Soon, she was on an empty street. She couldn't see anyone around her. She searched the street but Credence was nowhere to be seen. 

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Tina turned Apparated back to the main street. It was all but empty. The ringmaster was the only one left. He had just picked up what looked like a hat. She recognized it as the tent they had been in just minutes before.

"The boy with the Maledictus, what do you know about him?" she demanded, walking towards him.

The man walked away. Tina followed after him, determined not to let him leave without answers. He climbed up to his wagon. Then he stopped. "He's looking for his mother," he admitted. "All my freaks think they can go home." Then he climbed onto his seat and urged the horse to start moving. "Come on, let's go," he called to the house elf who snapped his fingers. The last few boxes packed themselves away and the elf Apparated onto the wagon.

Tina heard something behind her. She turned slowly. A dark-skinned man stood a few yards away. He approached her slowly. She noticed the feather in the band of his hat fall to the ground but she ignored it.

"Come," she said, motioning for him to follow her. She led him off the street to a nearby café. They took seats and a waiter approached the table.

Tina ordered a coffee but the man waved the waiter away. The two of them sat in silence, studying each other until Tina's coffee came and she had paid. They continued to study each other as Tina sipped at her drink.

Then Tina leaned forward.

"Look, I think you and I were at the circus for the same reason, Monsueir . . ."

"Kama. Yusuf Kama," he offered. "And you think right."

"What do you want with Credence--"

"The same as you," Kama interrupted.

"Which is?"

"To prove who the boy really is."

There was a moment of silence. Tina studied him, not sure if she should believe him. He leaned forward slightly.

"If the rumors of his identity are correct, he and I are -- distantly -- related." Tina continued staring at him so he continued. "I am the last male of my pure blooded line and so, if the rumors are correct, is he." 

Tina still didn't reply. 

"Have you read the predictions of Tycho Dodonus?" Kama asked.

"Yeah," Tina said, staring at him intently. "But that's poetry, not proof." She didn't care for prophecies. She didn't believe they could be trusted.

"Hmm." Kama looked thoughtful. "If I could show you something better . . ."

"Hmm," Tina said, hinting for him to continue.

". . . more concrete. Something that proves who he is. Would the Ministries of Europe and America let him live?"

Tina narrowed her eyes slightly. "They might."

"Then come."

Kama stood up and moved away. Tina hesitated, unsure if she could trust him.

_I've got nothing to lose_ , she reminded herself. 

She got to her feet and quickly caught up to Kama.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name," he said.

"Goldstein," she replied. Her tone was cold, as it nearly always was now. She had gone through too much in the last few months and had realized that it was best not to feel. She had learned to hide her emotions, locking them away to a place where no one, not even she, could see them; to a place where they couldn't hurt her.

Kama led her to a corner where he offered her his hand. She took it hesitantly and he Disapparated, appearing in a dark place. Tina instantly recognized it as a sewer. She whipped out her wand, pointing it at Kama.

"No," he said. "This is where we must be. Come."

He started through the tunnel and she followed after him. They came to a large space. There was a long, low, makeshift desk along the wall. The wall itself was covered in glowing writing. Kama was staring up at it.

"Here is everything you must know," he said.

Tina glanced at him suspiciously. She moved forward slowly, looking up at the wall. Kama moved away. There were a few names on the wall. Above the name 'Credence Barebone' was another name: Corvus Lestrange.

Tina started. _Lestrange?_ She searched the wall. Another name jumped out at her. _Leta Lestrange._

Before Tina could figure out what the connection between the two was, she heard Kama's voice.

" _Expelliarmus_."

Her wand flew from her hand and she spun around. Kama was standing out of the room, bars magically forming to block the entrance. She rushed forward but Kama was gone.


	35. Tracking Tina

Newt led Jacob along the White Cliffs of Dover. He knew they would be in Paris in a matter of minutes and he'd be able to see Tina. _If I can find her._ Suddenly, he was nervous. _Queenie said she's dating someone. What if she doesn't want me anymore?_

"Jacob, that man Tina's been seeing . . ." he started.

"Don't worry, she's gonna see you and she'll see the four of us together, it'll be just like New York all over again," Jacob assured him. "Don't worry about it."

"But he -- he's an Auror, Queenie said."

"Yeah, he's an Auror," Jacob said. "So what? Don't worry about him."

Newt hesitated. "What do you think I should say to her, if I see her?"

"Oh, well, it's best not to plan these things," his friend replied. "You know, you just say whatever comes to you in the moment. You should be able to speak to her. You two were close, weren't you?"

Newt nodded. "Didn't Queenie ever tell you that we -- we were engaged?"

"You and Tina?"

"Yes."

"No, I don't think she did." Jacob seemed to notice Newt's worried expression. "Hey, it'll be fine."

"But what if she doesn't want me anymore?"

"Hey. Hey, hey," Jacob said, stopping Newt. He grabbed his friend by the shoulders. "It's gonna be alright. We're in this together, pal. Okay, I'm gonna help you out. I'm gonna help you find Tina, find Queenie, and we'll all be happy again, just like old times." He turned and saw the portkey tout waiting at the edge of the cliff. "Who is this guy?"

Newt turned to look at the man. "Oh, he's the only way I can leave the country without documentation," he explained. They started moving again. "You don't suffer from motion sickness, do you?"

"I don't do well on boats, no."

"You'll be fine."

"Stir your stumps," the man said. "Leaves in one minute." He glared at Newt. "Fifty galleons."

"No, we said thirty," Newt said quickly.

"Uh huh. Thirty to go to France. Twenty not to tell anyone I see Newt Scamander leaving the country illegally."

Newt sighed and began digging in his pocket.

"Price of fame, pal," the man said.

Newt pulled out a handful of money and passed it to him. He checked it before pocketing it. "Hmm. Ten seconds." He began counting down.

Newt offered Jacob his hand.

"Jacob," he said.

Jacob hesitantly reached out his hand.

"Six," the man said. He looked pointedly at the bucket which had begun to shake. "Four, three, two, one."

Newt stared at the bucket then purposefully stomped his foot down into it. He felt the tug of a portkey transporting him miles across the world. They appeared in a large field. They could see the city of Paris in the distance.

Newt had been to Paris before so he knew where to go. He motioned for Jacob to pick up the bucket. Then he grabbed his friend's hand and Disapparated. They appeared in the city, and Newt began leading them through the streets.

Jacob moaned slightly.

"What?" Newt asked.

"This thing makes me feel-- ugh."

"What, the portkey?"

"I guess." Jacob paused. "Do you know where we're going?"

"Maybe."

Newt led them further into the city until they reached the statue of the young woman that had been on the postcard. 

"I don't like that portkey, Newt," Jacob complained again.

"So you keep saying." He looked up at the guard. He seemed like he was nearly finished speaking to a woman. "Follow me."

They climbed up the stairs and Newt slowly pulled out his wand. He pointed it at the man.

" _Confundus_ ," he said. 

The man doubled over, hiccuping and giggling uncontrollably. Newt looked up at the statue, waiting for her to pull away her skirt, then ducked through the concrete. He noticed that Jacob hadn't followed him so he reached back and grabbed his friend. "Come on. It'll wear off in a minute."

Newt quickly moved into the middle of the street. Then he set his case down and took a few steps away from it. Jacob looked confused, as if he didn't understand why his friend was leaving his most prized possession in the middle of the street.

" _Appare Vestigium_ ," he said. He raised his wand to his lips and blew, a cloud of gold dust blowing out around him. Jacob jumped back. The dust was settling on the ground, creating glowing footprints. He pointed his wand at his case. " _Accio_ the Niffler." The Niffler shot out of the case, gold coins dropping around it. "Get looking," he commanded. "Oi, get looking."

Crouching down, Newt dropped his wand. It stuck in the ground, a cloud of gold dust forming a shimmering image of a creature. "It's a Kappa," he exclaimed. "It's a Japanese water demon."

He turned. Another shadowy image had caught his eye. He could hear footsteps echoing through his mind. A tall figure was walking away from him, walking right through his case. She raised her wand at something, never stopping.

"Tina," he breathed. He grabbed his wand and placed it between his teeth. "Tina!" he repeated, moving after the image but it had vanished. He sighed slightly. Of course, he had known it was just an image and that she couldn't really hear him. But there was one thing he had noticed. Even though it had just been a shadowy image of her, made of swirling golden dust, he had seen that her left hand was bare. She was no longer wearing the engagement ring.

_Of course she isn't._

The Niffler was moving along the ground, his nose pressed to the pavement. Newt moved towards, him taking his wand out of his mouth. 

"What've you found?" he asked.

He touched the ground with a finger, tasting the dust. Then he leaned down and licked the ground.

"Eh, we're licking the dirt now," Jacob observed, confused and probably rather embarrassed for his friend.

The Niffler chittered and Newt raised his want to his ear. The end of it transformed, forming a shape like an ear, and letting Newt hear the echoes of a roar and screams. 

" _Revelio_ ," he murmured, pointing the wand in front of him. The shadowy image of a large creature appeared on the street.

"Newt, what made those?" Jacob asked, walking through the image and looking down at the golden footprints.

"That is a Zouwu," Newt replied, amazed. "It's a Chinese creature. They are incredibly fast and incredibly powerful. They can travel a thousand miles in a day and, uh, this one could take you from one part of Paris to another in a single leap."

He heard the Niffler chattering behind him. He turned to see the black creature rolling on the ground on a pair of golden footprints.

"Oh, good boy!" he congratulated, hurrying over to him. He stood facing the footprints. "Jacob, she was here. Tina stood here. She has incredibly narrow feet, have you noticed?"

Jacob glanced at him curiously. "Can't say that I have."

Newt stared at the footprints. _Tina was right there. If she was there now she'd be close enough to kiss._

He turned and saw another shadowy figure approaching, this one of a dark man.

"Someone came towards her," he observed.

An image of a feather fell from the man's hat. Newt looked down and quickly spotted the real feather lying on the ground. He picked it up and sniffed it before throwing it in the air.

" _Avenseguim_ ," he said, pointing his wand at the feather. It began to fly away, flying past Jacob and down the street. "Right, follow that feather," he called.

"What?"

"Jacob, follow the feather."

"Following the feather," Jacob said, doing so.

Newt looked around. "Where is he?" He spotted the Niffler trying to steal a large gold item. "Ah. _Accio_ Niffler."

The Niffler flew the air, dropping into the case. Newt ran forward, grabbing his case as he passed. He looked for the feather. Jacob pointed at it and they ran after it.

"Drop the bucket!" Newt called.

Jacob did so and it vanished behind them. 

They followed the feather through the streets of Paris for the majority of the day. Newt knew Jacob was getting tired but they couldn't stop. They couldn't risk losing the feather. Eventually, it started raining but they continued on, Jacob attempting to hold an umbrella over both of them. As they went, he kept asking if they could stop for something to eat but Newt brushed him off. He was desperate to find Tina.

As the hours wore on, Newt was getting more and more worried. He knew the feather was searching for its owner but he was starting to wonder if they would ever find him. Every now and then the feather would switch directions, going back the way they had come. Newt suspected that its owner had Apparated. 

Eventually, the feather led them to a café, very near where they had started. It flew around a table and Newt quickly captured it under a glass bowl.

"What are you doing?" Jacob asked.

"He's close," Newt explained. "We'll just wait for him here." 

Jacob sighed and pulled up a seat. Newt was about to sit down when something on his chair caught his eye. It was a strand of dark brown hair, about six inches in length. He picked it up and twisted it around his fingers as he carefully took a seat.

_Tina sat in this chair_ , he realized. He had no proof that she had, or that the hair was hers, but he knew it was. As he sat in the chair, he sunk into his thoughts. He could see a couple at another table, their faces close together, whispering things to each other.

_I wish Tina was here with me now_ , he thought, twisting the strand of her hair around his fingers. _I wish I knew where she was._

Newt missed Tina. He missed everything about her. He missed her laugh, her smile, her eyes. He missed how stubborn she was and how hard it was to get her to take a break. He missed how passionate she was about her job and how excited she got when she was telling him about her cases. He missed the feeling of having her close, the sensation of her lips against his, the bitter taste of coffee in every kiss. He missed making coffee for her. He missed the tea she made for him; it was always perfect with just the right amount of milk and sugar. He missed the hours they would spend on the couch, reading silently, her head resting in his lap, the fingers of one of his hands tangled in her hair. 

Suddenly, Newt realized that Jacob had been talking.

"Sorry?" he said. 

Jacob looked mildly embarrassed. "I was sayin', you sure the guy is here that we're looking for?"

"Definitely," Newt said, sighing. "Yeah. The feather says so." He looked down at the feather which was desperately trying to escape the glass bowl. They fell silent again.

Eventually, the feather began tapping on the glass, trying to fly in a specific direction. Newt looked up in that direction and saw a dark-skinned man walking towards them.

"Is that the guy we're looking for?" Jacob asked.

"Yes," Newt responded softly. He lifted the bowl and let the feather fly out from under it. It soared towards the man, neatly tucking itself in the band of his hat. The man continued walking so Newt quickly got to his feet to intercept him.

"Sorry, uh-- Bonjour," Newt started. He could speak French almost fluently but he was nervous and that made speech difficult for him, even when he was speaking in English. "Bonjour, Monsieur."

The man stared at him. Then he turned and began moving in the opposite direction.

"Oh, wait, no. Sorry. We were just-- Sir, we actually-- We were just wondering if you've come across a friend of ours," he stammered, grabbing his case and following after him.

"Tina Goldstein," Jacob supplied.

"Monsieur, Paris is a large city," the man said.

"She's an Auror," Newt said. "And, when Aurors go missing, well the Ministry tend to come looking, so . . ." The man didn't react to Newt's subtle threat so he turned to Jacob. "Look, you know, I suppose it would probably be better if we just report her absence . . ." He hoped this threat would work. He didn't even know if Tina could be considered missing. For all he knew, the Ministry knew exactly where she was.

"Is she tall?" the man said. "Dark? Rather--"

"Beautiful," Newt said quickly. "She's--"

"Intense," Jacob said at the same time. He glanced at Newt. "Yeah, what I meant to say was . . ."

"She's intense," Newt mumbled. I was an accurate description of Tina's personality.

"Yeah, no. She's very-- She's very pretty." Jacob said, glancing at Newt.

"I think I saw someone like this," the man said. "Last night. Perhaps if I showed you where?"

"That would-- If you wouldn't mind, that would be--" Newt glanced at Jacob who smiled and nodded. "That would be lovely, Monsieur."

The man turned and motioned for them to follow him. They did and he led them through the streets of Paris. They finally came to a sewer and the man motioned for them to go inside.

Newt entered the dark space slowly, carefully pulling out his wand. He moved through the tunnels. The only sound was the trickle of water and their footsteps. He moved into a large open space. The walls were covered in glowing writing and there was a long, makeshift desk along one side. And there, lying on the ground, with her head resting on the desk, was . . .

_Tina._


	36. Reunited

_Tina stared at the paper in front of her. She was frustrated. The page was covered in writing but she couldn't make out what it said. She knew it was English but, for some reason, she couldn't read it. She was getting more annoyed every minute._

_She wasn't going to admit it but she was scared. She hated being trapped. She hated it more than anything else. The sewer was dark and damp and she wanted to get out but she couldn't. She was a prisoner._

_Tina gave a frustrated sigh and dropped the paper. It fluttered to the grimy floor. Suddenly, she heard a noise behind her. Spinning around, she let out a gasp. There, standing in the entrance, was Newt._

_Tina's heart gave a leap. Newt was there; there to rescue her. She ran forward and he pulled her into a hug, spinning her around. He set her down and they stared up at each other. They slowly began to lean forward, their lips inches apart._

 

Tina jerked awake to the sound of someone clearing his throat. She scrambled to her feet and stared across the dimly lit space. She gasped softly, unable to believe her eyes. He was there, just like in her dream.

"Tina!" he exclaimed. Jacob saluted beside him.

"Newt," she breathed. He was really there. _He's actually here. He's here to rescue me._ And then her hopes were dashed.

" _Expelliarmus_!" 

Newt's wand flew from his hand, the bars reforming in the entrance. Tina ran to the bars.

"No!" she said, gripping the cold metal.

"My apologies," Kama said. "Mr. Scamander, I shall return and release you . . . once Credence is dead."

"Kama, wait," Tina called, reaching through the bars.

"You see," Kama said. "Either he dies, or I do."

Suddenly, he started moaning, raising a hand to one eye. "Oh! No, no, no." He grunted and collapsed on the ground, completely unconscious. Tina stared at the motionless man. Letting out a sigh, she rested her forehead against the bars.

"Well, that's not the best start to a rescue attempt," Newt said.

Suddenly, all of Tina's anger came crashing back down on her. "Oh, this was a rescue attempt?" she demanded, walking over to stand in front of Newt. "You just lost me my only lead."

Newt looked at her, mildly annoyed. He had come all this way for her and she was mad at him. "Well, how was the interrogation going before we turned up?" he asked, knowing that this would annoy her.

Before Tina could respond, they heard the sound of the metal door swing open and Jacob let out a loud laugh.

"Newt!" he called.

Tina turned and rushed towards Kama, kneeling beside his motionless form. She quickly searched his pockets until she found her wand before picking up the two that lay on the ground. 

"Well done, Pick," Newt said, letting the Bowtruckle hop on his hand as he passed. He moved to join Tina, taking his wand from her.

"So, you need this man, you said," Newt confirmed.

"Yeah," Tina said. "I think he knows where Credence is, Mr. Scamander."

Newt looked up at her. _Mr. Scamander._ Hearing her using his last name again hurt more than anything else. The two of them stared at each other.

The silence was split by a roar, echoing through the night. The three of them looked up towards the ceiling of the sewer.

"Well, that'll be the Zouwu," Newt said simply. 

They joined hands and Apparated out of the sewer. Newt moved into the street. The Zouwu was crashing through the street, knocking over cars. One of them landed on its side, its headlights shining in the Zouwu's face. The creature roared at the car.

Tina stared at the large creature. Its majestic tail flowed smoothly as it turned.

Newt spun around, setting his case on the ground. He flicked it open.

"Come on, Newt! Get outta there!" Jacob yelled.

Newt ignored him. He summoned a toy and turned to face the creature. It was now right in front of him, its tail swirling behind him. It faced him and let out a deafening roar. Newt raised the toy, shaking it to let the bell jingle. The Zouwu's eyes softened and it stared at the toy, completely transfixed. 

Tina watched as Newt worked. He was doing what he loved and he was doing it excellently. Her eyes held emotions for the first time in months. They were filled with amazement, pride . . . and love.

Newt slowly moved the toy through the air, shaking it again. The Zouwu followed it. Newt began moving to the side of his case. The large creature came forward. Then Newt dropped the toy in his case and the Zouwu let out a roar, diving after it. The case snapped shut behind it.

The people in the street slowly began coming out of hiding. Newt could hear them murmuring in surprise but he felt something materialize in his hand. He raised it. It was the card Dumbledore had given him.

_Time to go._

He ran towards Jacob who was waiting on the side of the street with the unconscious Kama. Tina began moving toward them.

"Come on!" he called.

Jacob had grabbed Kama. When Newt reached them he felt Jacob and Tina grab his arms so he Disapparated, trusting Dumbledore's card to take him where he needed to go.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Internet is a bit sketchy but since I didn't update yesterday I'll try to get another two chapters up. We'll see if the internet behaves.


	37. Safe House

They had Apparated to a dark corner. Newt glanced across the street. There was a house with a sign hanging from it, identical to the symbol on the card. He and Jacob carried the unconscious form of Kama across the street and into the house where they laid him on a long chair. Tina had followed after them, a nervous frown on her forehead.

A small book slipped from Kama's pocket, dropping to the floor. Tina scooped it up and glanced at the title. _The Predictions of Tycho Dodonus._ She glanced up to find Newt but he was gone. His case was sitting open in the middle of the floor. She stared at the case. A roar echoed from its depths.

Newt had vanished into his case the moment he could. He wanted to cry. It had been six months since he had seen Tina but he had finally found her . . . and she was mad at him.

Of course, he knew the reason why she was mad, Queenie had already told him. He knew all he needed to do was explain to her that he wasn't marrying Leta but he didn't know if she'd listen to him. Besides, he didn't know what to say.

Pushing these thoughts from his mind, Newt moved to the enclosure where the Zouwu was. With a flick of his wrist, the enclosure transformed to resemble a Chinese forest. Then he carefully approached the large beast.

The creature growled at him and he quickly dropped to the floor. The Zouwu began throwing him across the enclosure. He rolled across the ground, pulling himself into a ball. The creature approached him slowly, picking him up by the back of the coat. He hung from her claw and she slowly brought him to her face.

"Hey, uh, Newt, buddy!" Jacob's voice floated down into the case. "Uh, Tina's up here, she's all by her lonesome and, um, maybe you wanna come up and keep her company." He paused. "Uh, I've been looking for food and I ain't found any so, uh, I guess I'm gonna go upstairs and try my luck in the, oh I don't know, the attic!"

Newt slowly reached forward, taking the lock in his hands. "You're alright," he murmured. " _Relashio_." The chains fell from the Zouwu's neck and her mane glowed gold in response. 

"Okay!" Jacob's voice said.

Newt quickly applied Dittany to the Zouwu's wounds. Then he entered the shed and climbed the ladder, stopping halfway out of the case. Tina was staring at him. She sat in a chair, a book open in her hands. Newt stared at her, amazed at how beautiful she was. Her hair was shorter, framing her face, and her forehead was covered by soft bangs. The look suited her.

He realized he needed to say something.

"She's responded well to the Dittany," he said, pointing down into his case. "She was born to run, you see. I think she's-- I think she's just lacking in confidence."

Tina snapped the book shut and got to her feet. "Mr. Scamander, have you got anything in your case that might help revive this man? I need to question him. I think he knows who Credence really is and the scars on his hand suggest--

"An Unbreakable Vow," they finished together.

"No, I noticed that too," Newt said.

Tina looked away, embarrassed. They had developed a habit of finishing each other's sentences back when they had been in New York and she couldn't believe he was still doing that. And she knew he hadn't done it deliberately.

Newt had vanished back into his case but he emerged a moment later, handing Tina a small bottle. She took it from him, careful not to let their hands touch, and uncorked it, holding it under Kama's nose. The man started rolling slightly.

Newt hovered over him and pulled out his wand. " _Lumos_."

The tip of his wand lit up and Tina held open Kama's eye. Something moved below the lower eyelid. She gasped.

"What was that?" she asked, looking up at Newt.

"There must be a water dragon in that sewer," Newt explained. "They carry these parasites. You see, um . . ." He trailed off. "Uh, Jacob?"

"Yeah," Jacob said suspiciously.

"So, um. In the-- My case-- In the pocket there, you'll find a pair of tweezers." 

Tina glanced at Newt as he spoke before quickly looking back at Kama.

"Tweezers?" Jacob repeated.

"They're thin, pointy--"

"Little pointy things," Tina said, practically at the same time. She silently cursed herself for finishing Newt's sentence. He glanced at her but she avoided his gaze. 

Jacob appeared and handed the tweezers to Newt. 

"You might not want to watch this," Newt suggested.

"I can handle it," Tina replied. She was mildly annoyed that Newt didn't think she could but she was also touched. _He still cares, or at least seems to._

A small smile tugged at Newt's lips. He loved how brave she was and how nothing could disturb her. He cleared his throat awkwardly and placed the end of his wand between his lips. He reached forward to push Kama's eyes open further, his fingers accidentally brushing against Tina's. She inhaled sharply as if burned, making a noise that reminded Newt of a hissing Kneezle. "Sorry," he mumbled, moving his hand away. Then he began pulling the parasite out of Kama's eyes.

"Come on," he mumbled. "Come on. It'll be alright." Kama was grunting and kicking the chair. "Come on."

Tina held his face down as Newt finally got the parasite free.

"Jacob, can you take that for me?" he asked, handing the tweezers to his friend as Kama reached up to grab the side of his coat.

Jacob stared at the squirming creature, groaning in disgust. "Calamari," he exclaimed.

They turned back to Kama.

"I must k-kill him," he stammered.

"Who?" Tina demanded urgently. "Credence?"

Kama didn't respond. Instead, he lost consciousness.

"It may take him a few hours to recover," Newt explained. "That parasite's poison's quite strong."

Tina turned and grabbed her coat. 

"I've got to go back to the Ministry with what I've got," she said, pulling her coat on. It wasn't exactly true, she had no connections to the French Ministry, but she needed to get out of there. She needed to get away from Newt.

"What? Um--" Newt stammered.

"It was nice to see you again, Mr. Scamander," she interrupted, grabbing the book and quickly starting out of the house.

"Hey, hey wait!" Jacob called. "Hold on a second, will you. Wha- Uh, uh. Hold on, hold on." He glanced at Newt who stood motionless beside Kama. "Wait, Tina!"

Tina ignored him, desperate to get away.

Jacob turned back to Newt. "What happened? What did you say?"

"No idea, she just-- Ah. She just ran. I don't know--" Newt stammered.

Jacob looked at his friend. "So you chase after her!"


	38. Chasing After Her

Newt snatched his case off the floor and ran out of the house. He glanced along the street, just in time to see Tina round a corner. He hurried to catch up to her.

"Tina," he called. She glanced at him and started moving faster. "Please just listen to me," he begged.

"Mr. Scamander, I need to go talk to the Ministry," Tina snapped, crossing the street. She knew it wasn't true but she wanted to get away from Newt. She didn't understand why he was here. He hadn't been able to visit her in New York but he was here now and he wouldn't leave her alone. She didn't understand what he wanted from her. "And I know how you feel about Aurors."

"I may have been a bit strong in the way I expressed myself in that letter," Newt admitted.

"What was the exact phrase?" she interrupted. "A bunch of careerist hypocrites?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't admire people whose answer to everything they fear or misunderstand is kill it!" Newt explained. He wanted Tina to understand that this wasn't about her.

But she didn't.

"I'm an Auror, and I don't!" she said, frustrated. She had hoped he would at least say he hadn't meant it.

"Yes, I know. But that's because you've gone middle head," Newt said quickly.

Tina slowed to a stop and turned to face him. 

"Excuse me?" She wasn't sure how to react. What he said hadn't sounded like a good thing but, of course, this was Newt.

Newt looked down, embarrassed. "It's an expression derived from the three heads of a Runespoor," he explained, not meeting her gaze. "See the middle one is the visionary."

Tina crossed her arms and stared at Newt as he tried to explain.

"You see, every Auror in Europe wants Credence dead except you. You've gone middle head," Newt finished. He glanced up at her nervously.

Tina stared at the awkward man standing in front of her, fighting to keep the fond expression off her face. No matter how much she wanted to forget him, to move on and never look back, he made that impossible. Even when he hadn't been around, he was constantly on her mind. Now that he was here, he wasn't letting her go. She didn't understand why. He had moved on, why wasn't he letting her?

"Who else uses that expression, Mr. Scamander?" she asked. A hint of fondness had crept into her voice unbidden.

Newt glanced at her awkwardly. "I think it might just be me," he admitted.

A fond smile was forming on Tina's lips and she hated herself for it. She had to admit it, she loved the man in front of her. 

"Tina, please let me--" Newt broke off as something caught his gaze. 

Tina had also seen what Newt had. She turned slowly, her face falling. 

Great sheets of black silk were flying through the air. They crept slowly across the buildings, covering them entirely. The people in the streets continued walking, oblivious to what was happening but Newt noticed one person who had seen it. It was a young woman with vibrant red hair. 

Tina moved into the middle of the street. Newt started after her, dodging a car. He raised his arm as a sheet of black fabric flew over them.

"It's Grindelwald," Tina exclaimed. "He's calling his followers."

The sheets of fabric had covered nearly all of the city, giving it an eerie look, almost as if it was dead and ready to be buried.

"It's too late," she continued. "Grindelwald has come for Credence." She stared at Newt. "He might already have him," she finished, despair creeping into her voice.

"It's not too late," Newt assured her. "We can still get to him first."

He began moving out of the street. Tina followed after him.

"Where are you going?" she asked.

"The French Ministry of Magic."

Tina started. "That's the last place Credence would go!"

"There's a box hidden in the Ministry, Tina." Newt stopped and turned to face her. "It's a box that will tell us who Credence really is."

"A box?" Tina asked, shaking her head slightly. She was completely confused. "What are you talking about?"

"Trust me," Newt said, staring into her eyes. Then he turned and quickly started down the sidewalk.

Tina shook her head and hurried after him. She didn't know why she trusted him, he had already hurt her once, but she did. She trusted him with her life. Somehow, even though he had dumped her for Leta, he was here for her now, willingly helping her. She didn't understand it but, at least at the moment, she was happy for him to be here.


	39. The Ministry

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> FINALLY! I have reliable internet!

Tina followed Newt through the streets of Paris. He led her to a deserted alley and offered her his hand. She started and pulled away, glaring at him.

"Tina, we need to Apparate," Newt said sadly. 

She hesitantly took his hand and felt the familiar pull of Apparating. Newt released her hand the moment they appeared. He didn't want to but he respected her decision. He motioned for her to follow and they stepped towards the end of the alley. He glanced out to the square where he could see vines creeping towards the center to form an elevator that would take them down into the Ministry.

Newt set down his case and began digging in his pocket for a small vile.

"The box is in the ancestral records room, Tina, so it's three floors down," he explained.

Tina crossed her arms and took a step forward. "Is that polyjuice?" she asked, amazed that always seemed to have something useful.

"It's just enough to get me inside." Newt uncorked the bottle and drank the contents. He began twitching, his features transforming to those of his brother's. His hair got shorter and darker and he glanced back at the elevator.

"Who?" Tina started.

"It's my brother, Theseus," Newt explained. "He's an Auror." Reaching for his case, he looked up at Tina. "And a hugger."

Tina watched as Newt ran off. It was strange to think that this man she had never seen before was actually the man she had loved, and still loved. She had seen him transform in front of her but it was unsettling to hear Newt's familiar voice coming from this stranger's lips. Of course, now that she had learned he was Newt's brother, she could see the similarities. _But they're still so different._

She quickly moved to follow after Newt and they descended into the Ministry together. They moved through the busy halls into a large, open area filled with rows of desks. Tina noticed that Newt was looking up at something on the floor above, a worried expression on his face. She followed his gaze to see a man standing behind the rail, staring right at them. And he looked just like Newt did at that moment.

_Theseus Scamander_ , Tina realized.

Theseus moved quickly and Newt sped up. Tina hurried after him and they ducked into a corridor.

Newt looked down at his hand, it was beginning to transform back to his own.

"I don't suppose you can Disapparate on Ministry premises in France, can you?" he asked, knowing the answer.

"Nope," Tina replied matter of factly. She was annoyed with him again. He had gotten them into this mess and now he expected her to get them out of it. Suddenly, he began to twitch again and Tina looked at him, shocked to see his familiar features return.

"Newt!" she exclaimed.

"Yes, I know. I know."

They came to a stop. Right in front of them was a pillar with a number of posters on it. Newt's face looked at them shyly and a voice came over a speaker. It was in French so Tina didn't understand a word that was said, only recognizing Newt's name, but Newt knew he was, once again, a wanted criminal.

"Newt!" Theseus came running out from a doorway.

Newt and Tina began running in the opposite direction. 

"Newt!" Theseus repeated.

"Oh," Newt said, glancing behind him.

"That's your brother?" Tina asked, glancing at Newt.

"So, I think I may have mentioned in my letters that we have quite a complicated relationship," he explained as they ran.

"Newt, stop!"

They turned into an open room. 

"Does he want to kill you?" Tina questioned.

"Frequently."

They ran between two people pushing carts. One of them was piled with boxes.

"Enough!" Theseus shouted. He cast a spell, hitting the boxes and sending them in their direction.

Newt and Tina both raised their wands, blocking the boxes and knocking them back, holding many of them suspended in midair. They turned to face Theseus. He lowered his wand.

"He needs to control his temper!" Tina exclaimed. She swung her arm down, shooting a spell at Newt's brother. It hit him, sending him flying back and into a chair. His wrists were tied together as he spun into another room.

"I think that might have been the best moment of my life," Newt laughed. He wanted to turn and pull Tina into his arms, kissing her deeply, but he knew he couldn't.

He cast a spell to send all the boxes back to their cart and Tina's face broke into a smile. It had been months since she smiled and it felt wonderful. She loved the fact that she had made Newt's day. Even if she couldn't be with him, at least she could make him laugh.

They turned and quickly ran further into the Ministry, not knowing that both of them wanted the same thing and both thinking they couldn't have it.


	40. Explanations and Apologies

Newt slowed down when they reached the entrance to the record room. He glanced around the corner to see the woman waiting behind the desk at the entrance. Then he turned to Tina.

"Listen, just act natural and go along with whatever I say, okay?" Newt said.

She nodded and they rounded the corner. They walked slowly to the desk. When they reached it, the woman said something in French. Tina didn't understand but Newt seemed to.

"Yes, uh," he said. "This is Leta Lestrange."

Tina looked at him in surprise. She had expected him to say something involving them being together but he hadn't thought he'd call her Leta. She turned and smiled at the woman.

"And, uh--" Newt went on. "I'm -- I'm her--"

"Fiancé," Tina stammered, clearing her throat uncomfortably. It hurt so much to say that word. It hurt because it had been true once but wasn't any longer. It hurt because she was simply pretending to be Leta who really was his fiancée.

Newt felt his heart sink as she said that word. He knew she was only saying it because she really thought that he was marrying Leta. He knew that he needed to explain it to her. It was now or never.

The woman spoke again. As Newt and Tina moved around the desk, she leaned forward and pressed a button. The doors swung open and they stepped into the dark room.

"Tina, about that fiancée business," he started as the doors swung shut behind them.

"Oh, sorry, yeah. I should have -- congratulated you," she said haltingly. They had gone this long without discussing this. _Why did I bring it up?_

"No, that's--"

" _Lumos_!" she called, not letting him finish. The tip of her wand lit up and the light began traveling along the room. "Lestrange."

She started after the light.

"Tina," Newt called, hurrying after her. "About Leta--"

"Yes, I just said I am happy for you!" she snapped. It was obvious she wasn't but she didn't care. She wanted him to feel guilty.

"No, well I don't-- Please don't be . . . happy."

Tina stopped abruptly and turned to face him.

"I-- No-- No, sorry. I don't--" He stammered. "O-obviously I--" His wand slipped from his fingers and he quickly bent to pick it up. Tina watched him fumble around.

"Obviously I want you to be," Newt started. "And I hear that you are now . . . which is wonderful." It hurt to say that but he knew he had to accept it.

Tina stared at him blankly.

"Sorry. What I'm trying to say is: I want you to be happy but I don't want you to be happy that I'm happy because I'm not," Newt tired to explain.

She continued staring at him in confusion. He realized she didn't understand.

"Happy," he clarified.

Tina turned, ready to snap at him again. She didn't understand what he meant. _Why on earth is he marrying Leta if he's not happy with her?_

__

"Or engaged," Newt added quickly.

__

Tina's turned back to Newt, staring at him in shock. "What?" she breathed.

__

"It was a mistake in a stupid magazine," he explained. "My brother's marrying Leta; June the 6th. I'm supposed to be best man which is sort of, mildly hilarious."

__

Tina looked at him curiously, a worried expression on her face. "Does he think you're here to win her back?"

__

Now it was Newt's turn to stare. _What?_

__

Suddenly nervous, Tina took a step forward. "Are you here to win her back?" she demanded.

__

Newt gasped slightly. "No, I'm here--" He stared at her. _Does she really believe that?_

__

He pushed the thought from his mind. "I'm here to win you back." He swallowed. "When Queenie told me that you-- that you thought I had used you-- It broke my heart. I knew I needed to find you. And then I found this." Setting his case down, he dug in his pocket and pulled out the postcard. Tina looked at it and gasped softly. "I realized you must still be in Paris so I came here immediately." There was a long pause. "I know you've moved on and must want nothing to do with me anymore but I just want you to know that I still love you wi--"

__

Newt was unable to finish his sentence, interrupted by Tina's lips crashing into his. Her arms wrapped around his neck, pulling him closer. When he recovered from his surprise, he slipped his arms around her waist and pulled her body against his.

__

They kissed deeply. One of Tina's hands moved upwards to tangle her fingers in his hair. Her other hand moved to his back, trying to grip his coat. She had forgotten how wonderful it was to kiss him, how perfectly their lips fit together.

__

Newt moved one hand from the small of her back to her shoulders. He wanted her closer. They hade been apart for too long. He felt Tina deepen the kiss and he smiled. It was wonderful to know that she wanted this kiss as much as he did.

__

Tina pulled Newt closer, desperate to feel him against her. She had been mad at him for so long and mad at herself for still loving him. It was finally over. He was here and he wasn't marrying Leta. He still loved her and she was back in his arms; back where she belonged. Unfortunately, she had been angry for so long that all her anger hadn't left her. She needed to direct it towards something and that something happened to be her coat.

__

She loved the coat and she usually had great mobility in it, but she had never tried kissing anyone in it. _Well, I kissed Achilles in it_ , she remembered. But that kiss, even though it had been a passionate one, was nothing like this one. Now the coat was getting in her way, restricting her movement and making it feel like it was impossible to kiss him the way she wanted to.

__

But Newt was making up for that. He was holding her tightly and kissing her deeply. Tina was sure they had ever been this close before. She moved her other hand up to his head, holding his face in her hands, trying to pull him closer.

__

Eventually, the need for air forced them to break apart. Newt hugged Tina close to him, both of them breathing heavily. Tina was crying again but she didn't care. She was too happy. Feeling a warm drop on her neck, she realized that Newt was crying as well.

__

Neither of them spoke until their breathing had slowed. 

__

"I love you, Tina," Newt murmured. He had moved so that their cheeks were pressed against each other, his lips right by her ear. His breath tickled her ear as he spoke.

__

"I love you too, Newt," she replied, tears rolling down her cheeks.

__

Newt held her at arms' length to get a good look at her. The light was dim but it didn't matter. He reached up to wipe the tears away from Tina's face.

__

"I thought I'd lost you forever," he choked out.

__

"I thought I'd lost you," she sobbed.

__

Newt pulled her close again. "Never," he murmured. He looked down and caught a glimpse of gold under her coat. He reached up and gently touched the thin chain. "You're still wearing the necklace I gave you."

__

Tina nodded. "I kept everything you gave me. I even kept all your letters." She blushed slightly. "But I didn't--"

__

"I know," Newt assured her. "If you had read them you would have known I wasn't marrying Leta."

__

Tina smiled at him, slightly embarrassed, and reached up to brush away his tears. He started.

__

"Wait, you kept everything?" he asked.

__

She nodded, blushing. She reached under the collar of her shirt, searching for the silver chain. When she found it, she pulled it out from under her shirt.

__

"See," she said, showing him the ring.

__

Newt let out a quiet gasp. "You carry that with you?"

__

"I couldn't bear the thought of leaving it behind," she murmured, tucking it back under her shirt.

__

Newt smiled and captured her lips with his. This time they kissed slowly, savoring the feeling of their lips moving against each other. Newt's arms slid around her waist, his hands settling on the small of her back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, resting them on his shoulders. 

__

They kissed for a minute before Newt decided to deepen the kiss. However, before he could do so, a sudden noise broke the silence. They pulled apart, gasping quietly. They looked quickly in the direction the noise had come from.

__

"Come," Tina breathed, grabbing Newt and pulling him towards the space in between the shelves. He snatched his case up and followed her.

__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You're welcome.


	41. Escape from the Ministry

Newt caught Tina's hand as they ran between the pillars. A voice floated across the room.

"Lestrange."

Suddenly, the cases of records rose out of the ground and began moving around them. They came to a stop and Tina glanced around, her grip on Newt's hand tightening. Then she pulled him in one direction. They ran through the moving pillars until they were forced to come to a stop. One of the pillars was moving toward them. Unlike the others, it was moving in a straight line. 

Glancing at each other, they let go of their hands and grabbed onto the case as it reached them, letting it carry them across the room. It turned slightly and they were no longer moving backward. The case carried them forwards, rising further out of the ground. It finally came to a stop near the second-floor railing.

Tina and Newt stared at each other, hardly daring to breathe. Newt shifted his hand to cover Tina's, giving it a gentle squeeze. A ghost of a smile appeared on her lips.

There was the soft rustle of paper and Leta's quiet voice came again. "Records moved to Lestrange family vault at Pere Lachaise."

Tina had glanced away but she looked back at Newt when she heard those words. A worried expression was etched into her features. She realized that this was the box that they had come to find and it wasn't even here. Newt gave her hand another gentle squeeze. She shifted her hand to squeeze his in return. Then she pulled it towards her and pressed a silent kiss to his knuckles. 

There was a long silence where nothing moved and Newt and Tina tried to stay as quiet as possible. Then Leta's voice broke through the silence.

" _Circumrota_."

The column of records began to turn. Newt and Tina quickly released their hands to get a better grip so they wouldn't fall. Newt felt Pickett climb onto his arm and up to his pocket.

"Hello, Newt," Leta said.

Newt turned slowly to face his old friend. "Hello, Leta."

Tina turned to look at her as well. Leta turned to her, inclining her head slightly as if asking who she was. She didn't know what to say. This was the woman she had hated for months because of a silly magazine and now it was over. She felt no emotions towards the woman in front of her.

"Hi," she managed awkwardly.

Suddenly, growls filled the air. Large, black, cat-like creatures approached them. The woman who had been at the desk was leading them.

"Oh, no," Newt breathed.

Leta turned and the creatures came closer, growling the whole time.

"What kind of cats are those?" Tina asked.

"Uh, these aren't cats," Newt explained, moving his hand to cover Tina's again. "They're, uh, Matagots. They're spirit familiars. They guard the Ministry. But they won't hurt you unless you--"

" _Stupefy_!" Leta exclaimed, pointing her wand at one of the Matagots. The spell hit it and it flew backward, bursting into three creatures.

"Unless you attack them," Newt finished.

"Oops," Leta murmured.

"Leta!" Newt called, letting go of Tina's hand to reach for his old friend.

" _Reverte_!" she called, swinging over the rail onto the shelf between Newt and Tina. 

Tina swung backward to give Leta more room.

The shelves of records began moving quickly, one moving behind them just in time to block a pouncing Matagot. The case they were on lowered and the three of them dropped to the ground, running through the moving columns. They came to a dead end and turned to see another case move behind them, blocking them in. Newt quickly set his case on the ground, flicking it open.

"Get in," he commanded.

Leta was the first to climb in. Tina followed after her and Newt climbed in as well, pulling the lid closed behind him. He rushed from the shed, Tina close behind him.

"Newt!" she called as he approached the Zouwu's enclosure. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to get us out of here," he replied. "Just trust me." He gave Tina a quick hug. "When I open the case to let you out, bring the toy with you. I'm gonna need help getting the Zouwu back in here. Can you do that?"

Tina nodded and he pressed a brief kiss to her lips. 

"Please be careful," she called.

"Of course," he replied, vanishing into the enclosure. 

Tina let out a worried sigh, turning to rejoin Leta in the shed.


	42. Calm in the Storm

Tina pulled the door to Newt's shed open, a worried expression etched onto her face. 

"Where's Newt?" Leta asked when she entered.

"He's using the Zouwu to get us out of here," she explained. "I'm not sure how but . . ." she trailed off, staring up at the top of the ladder.

"You're Tina, aren't you?" 

Tina started. "How do you know?"

"Well, you're American and Newt was looking at you in a way I've never seen him look at anyone. He was always talking about you. He was miserable because you weren't replying. You really broke his heart."

A faint blush appeared on Tina's cheeks. "I know. But we've worked things out, I think. There was just a misunderstanding on my part."

"What kind of misunderstanding?" Leta asked.

Tina's blush deepened. "It was about you actually."

"Me?"

"Yes, there was a magazine," Tina explained. "It said Newt was marrying you and I believed it. I shouldn't have but I did." She grinned sheepishly. "I reacted pretty stupidly, now that I think about it. I could have just written to him to ask what was going on or read the letters he was sending me and I would have figured things out. Instead, I ruined both our lives."

A look of understanding formed on Leta's face. "I see, but I'm marrying Newt's brother."

"Yes, I know," Tina smiled. "Newt told me."

Leta paused. "How do you know who I am?"

"Newt had a picture of you in here when I first met him. It's probably still here, actually." Tina turned back to the door, quickly spotting the worn leather frame that held Leta's picture. "Here it is."

Leta moved over to look. 

"Oh, I didn't know he kept that," she murmured.

A slight movement on the shelf above caught Tina's eye. She glanced up and let out a quiet laugh of surprise. There, on the shelf where it had been the last time Tina had been down there, was a silver frame with a picture of her inside it. She reached up and picked up the frame.

"He still has this!" she exclaimed. Then she blushed. "I mean, I shouldn't be surprised. I still have pictures of him and I kept everything he gave me, even though I was so mad at him."

"Newt told me you two were close," Leta said. "But he didn't mention how close you were. Are you in a relationship?"

Tina blushed again and carefully replaced the picture. "I -- I'm not sure. I think we're definitely in some kind of a relationship but we haven't really had time to discuss what kind of a relationship we're in at the moment. You kind of interrupted us."

Leta let out a soft laugh. "I'm sorry."

Tina wandered over to the ladder, staring up at the closed lid. She was nervous. She didn't like not knowing what was happening.

"I'm sure Newt's going to be fine, Miss Goldstein."

"I know," Tina sighed. "And you can just call me Tina," she added. 

"In that case, call me Leta."

Tina offered Leta a small smile and moved back to look at the picture on the shelf. Just then, the lid of the case opened and she could hear Newt mumbling something above them. She scrambled for the Zouwu's toy as Leta climbed the ladder. Then she climbed up herself.

As she reached the top, Leta offered a hand to help her climb out. She took it, offering the older woman another small smile. She turned to see the Zouwu hugging Newt who was struggling to get the large beast under control. She held up the toy and the creature stared at it, mesmerized. As she gave the toy a gentle shake, Newt petted the creature's leg. Then he motioned for Tina to drop the toy in the case. She did so and the Zouwu dived in after it, the case snapping shut behind her.

Newt moved forward quickly, pulling Tina into a hug. "Thank you," he murmured.

A content smile crept onto Tina's face as she returned the hug. "You're welcome."

Leta cleared her throat. "I know you two need time to catch up and figure out your love life but we do need to find my family tree as quickly as possible," she said apologetically.

"Give me one moment, Leta," Newt requested. He looked at Tina. "I just have one thing I need to do."

Leta nodded. Newt slipped his fingers under the collar of Tina's shirt, grasping the thicker chain that hid there. Then he began to pull the necklace out from under her shirt. She bowed her head slightly so he could pull it over her head.

"Tina," he murmured. "I don't know what's going to happen so I want us to discuss this now." He fumbled with the clasp of the necklace. "I want you to know that I still love you with my whole heart and I still want to spend the rest of my life with you." He finally got the clasp open and slid the ring off the chain. Tina took the chain from him and pocketed it. "I understand if you've decided you don't want me anymore but I just want you to know that I still want to marry you."

Tina laughed softly. "Newt, of course I still want to marry you," she replied quietly. "I could never dream of marrying anyone else. I don't think I could live without you. These last few months were the worst time of my life."

"Do you mean that?" Newt asked.

"Of course I do, Newt. Just put the ring on my finger," she said teasingly.

Newt's face broke into a smile. Taking Tina's left hand in his, he gently slipped the ring on her ring finger, back where it belonged. She flung her arms around his neck and pulled him into a deep kiss.

"I love you," she murmured. Then she noticed Leta watching them. A blush formed on her cheeks.

"So, have you figured out what your relationship is?" she asked.

"Yes, I think so," Tina laughed.

"It seems we're still engaged," Newt offered.

Leta raised her eyebrows. "Still? You mean you were before?"

Newt and Tina both nodded.

"Well, congratulations!" she exclaimed. "But we might want to--"

"Right," Newt said. After pressing a brief kiss to Tina's lips, he released her and grabbed his case off the ground. Then he took Tina's hand and they all started towards the Lestrange family tomb.


	43. Stories and Speeches

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I'm flying to the States tomorrow which means my day is literally gonna be 29 hours long. Anyway, I decided I might as well post these two chapters now rather than the morning. Also, it's just past midnight so today's chapters are being posted today.

Newt and Tina followed Leta into the mausoleum, walking hand in hand. Tina pulled out her wand but Newt didn't let go of her hand. They heard shouts from a space behind the wall. Leta quickly moved to see what was happening. Newt and Tina slowly followed after her.

Kama was staring at Leta, a shocked expression on his face. Behind him stood the Maledictus and behind her was . . .

_Credence._

Tina was suddenly hopeful. _Maybe my mission won't be a complete disaster._

Jacob stood behind Credence, lurking in the shadows.

"My little sister?" Kama breathed. He took a slow step towards her.

"So he's your brother?" Credence asked. "Who am I?"

"I don't know," Leta responded, shaking her head slightly.

Credence groaned. "I'm tired of living with no name, no history." He turned to Kama. "Just tell me my story. Then you can end it."

"Your story is our story," Kama replied. He turned to look at Leta. "Our story," he repeated.

Leta just shook her head. "No, Yusuf."

Kama moved into the main part of the tomb. Everyone followed him slowly. Newt glanced at Tina and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. She squeezed his hand back and nodded slightly. Then Kama began to speak.

"My father was Mustafa Kama," he declared. "Pureblood of Senegalese descent, and most accomplished. My mother, Laurena, was equally high bred, and noted beauty. They were deeply in love. A new man of great influence from a famous French pureblood family, he desired her.

"Lestrange used the Imperius curse to seduce and abduct her. I tried to prevent it but he attacked me. It was the last time I ever saw her. She died giving birth to a little girl." He turned to face Leta. "You.

"The news of her death drove my father insane. With his dying breath, my father charged me to seek revenge: kill the person Lestrange loves best in the world.

"I thought, at first, it'd be easy. He had only one close relative," he turned back to Leta. "You, but--" He broke off.

Leta stared at him defiantly. "Say it!" she insisted.

"He never loved you," Kama finished. "He remarried three months after her death. He loved her no more than he had loved you. But then his son Corvus was born at last and that man who had never felt love was filled with it. All he cared about was little Corvus."

Leta and Kama stared at each other intently.

"So this is the truth?" Credence asked. "I am Corvus Lestrange?"

Leta and Kama spoke at once.

"Yes," he replied.

"No!" she exclaimed. 

They glanced at each other.

"Yes," Kama insisted.

"No!" Leta repeated. 

"Realizing that Mustafa Kama's son has sworn revenge, your father sought to hide you where I couldn't find you. So, he confided you to his servant who boarded a ship to America."

Leta had begun pacing nervously. "He did send Corvus to America but--"

Kama ignored her. "His servant Irma Dugard was a half-elf. Her magic was weak and, therefore, left no trace I could follow.

"I'd only just discovered how you had escaped when I received news I never expected. The ship had gone down at sea. But you survived, didn't you? Somehow, someone had pulled you from the water.

"' _A son cruelly banished / Despair of the daughter / Return, great avenger / With wings from the water_ '," he quoted. Tina recognized the words as one of _The Prophesies of Tycho Dodonus_. 

Kama pointed at Leta. "There stands the disparing daughter. You are the winged raven, returned from the sea, but I . . . I am the avenger of my family's ruin." He stared at Credence. "I pity you, Corvus, but you must die," he said, raising his wand. 

Then Leta's voice came clear across the room, desperate to be heard. 

"Corvus Lestrange is already dead! I killed him!"

There was a shocked silence. Newt stared sadly at his former friend. He had always known she had gone through a lot as a child but he had never known the guilt she had been living with. He felt Tina's grip tighten and glanced up at her. She was giving him a small half smile, barely visible, but surprisingly comforting.

Leta raised her wand. " _Accio_!" she called.

A small box flew into the room, dropping in the middle of the ground. 

Tina stepped forward, pulling Newt with her. This was the box they had been looking for, the box that had the proof she needed.

Leta moved towards it, her wand pointed at it. The rope holding it closed vanished and the sides began to open. She crouched down in front of it.

"My father owned a very strange family tree," Leta explained as the shape of a tree began to grow from the now flattened box. Kama approached it from the other side and knelt down. "It only recorded the men. The women in my family were recorded as flowers." She swallowed. "Beautiful. Separate.

"My father sent me to America with Corvus. Irma was to pose as a grandmother with two grandchildren. Corvus never stopped crying."

Leta looked ready to cry as she explained what she had done; how she had switched him with another baby.

"I never wanted to hurt him. I only wanted to be free of him, just for a moment. Just a single moment."

She explained that the boat they had been on had made it safely but that the boat Corvus had been on had capsized, and the baby had drowned.

As she finished, the small flower representing her wrapped itself around the stem of her brother's branch, strangling it. Sniffing slightly, she raised her eyes to the ceiling, a haunted expression on her face. She slowly stood up. 

No one could see what she could, but Newt knew what it was. He remembered it all too well; the eerily dark room, the fluttering fabric floating down from the ceiling. That was her biggest fear. _Her brother dying._

"You didn't mean to do it, Leta," Newt assured her. "So it wasn't your fault."

"Newt," she said fondly, looking at him over her shoulder and offering him a sad smile. "You never met a monster you couldn't love."

Newt stared at her, unsure how to respond. Tina felt his grip on her hand tighten. Surprisingly, she felt no jealousy at all. Leta had been Newt's friend and he loved her, but it was a different kind of love and Tina knew it. But there was something she needed to know.

"Leta," she said softly. "Do you know who Credence really is? Did you know, when you swapped them?"

Leta shook her head. "No."

Tina felt her heart sink. This had been her last lead. If Credence wasn't a Lestrange, she didn't know what he could be. Her mission had all but failed. 

_At least I can still rescue Credence_ , she thought. 

Suddenly, there was the sound of grating concrete and a section of the wall shifted to reveal a passage. Jacob was the first to it. He glanced over his shoulder at the rest of them before quickly making his way down the stairs. Credence was the next to start down the stairs, the Maledictus following him quickly.

Newt began to follow them but Tina didn't move. She let go of his hand and he hesitated but she indicated that he keep going. After taking a deep breath to gather her thoughts, she followed after him. He was standing near the rail, looking out over the crowded mausoleum. She moved to stand beside him, slipping her hand back into his. It was a little harder to hold his hand now that he had pulled out his wand but she didn't care. 

"It's a trap," she whispered.

"Yeah," he agreed. "Queenie, the family tree, it's all been bait."

"We have to find a way out of here right now."

Newt took a deep breath, letting go of Tina's hand to slip his arm around her waist. "You go find the others," he told her, giving her a hug. 

She nodded and returned his hug. "What are you gonna do?" She looked at him for the first time in their conversation.

Newt leaned forward and pressed a brief kiss to her lips. "I'll think of something."

He pulled away and began moving around the room. Tina watched as he went.

"Be careful," she whispered, even though he couldn't hear her. Then she turned and made her way along the back wall until she came to a set of stairs that led to where Credence and Nagini stood. She slowly started down them. A man stepped out of the crowd to block her way. She turned to get out of there but a second man had moved to block her. 

Tina turned slowly, panicking slightly. She could see Newt standing in the middle of a large group of people, a worried expression on his face. Realizing she had no choice, she made her way along the row until she reached an empty place in the middle of the crowd.

Grindelwald appeared, stepping onto the round platform in the middle of the room. Everyone around them began clapping. Newt and Tina stood almost motionless.

Tina was beginning to panic. She hated tight spaces and crowded places to start with but this was worse. They were surrounded by people who supported a cause they didn't, many of who would be more than willing to kill them if they just knew who they were. Tina also hated the fact that she was so close to Grindelwald, the most wanted criminal in the world, and she couldn't even try to capture him. However, what she hated most was the fact that Newt was on the other side of the room. If he had been there she would have at least been able to handle it a little bit better. She longed to feel her hand in his or his arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close.

Newt and Tina glanced across the room, their gazes meeting. They both felt a sudden calmness wash over them. Their eyes both held a promise that, no matter what happened, they would be there for each other.

Grindelwald raised his hands and the crowd fell silent. Then he began speaking. His low, cold voice filling the mausoleum. He moved around the platform as he spoke, speaking to the whole room. His words were full of promises, promises that would appeal to everyone in the room.

Tina felt her heart sink further. Grindelwald knew what he was doing. He spoke softly, his words full of subtle contradictions, contradictions that went unnoticed by the crowd. He spoke carefully, choosing just the right words to appeal to everyone in turn. Even Tina was beginning to feel the effects of his speech. He was promising a world of peace. 

_Peace_ , she thought sadly. _A peaceful world to live with Newt and raise a family with him._

But she knew it was all a lie. There would be no peace.

Tina knew that none of what Grindelwald said was the full truth but there was one promise that scared her most. It was never directly stated, only implied, but it was one that she knew would appeal to her sister in particular. Grindelwald was promising a world where magical and non-magical people could marry each other. Tina knew her sister was in the room, she had caught a glimpse of her in the crowd.

Newt was also nervous because of the speech. It didn't affect him at all, he knew Grindelwald's promises were empty, but he also knew that many people would believe him. He watched as the pale man paced the platform, weaving a picture of a wonderful world with his words. He turned to face Newt's side of the mausoleum.

Newt caught a glimpse of a little silver vial pinned to his shirt. He recognized it immediately. Suddenly, everything made sense. Dumbledore had insisted on sending Newt to Paris because he really couldn't fight Grindelwald. Newt hadn't understood why but now he knew. Dumbledore and Grindelwald had made a blood pact and neither of them could fight each other until it was destroyed.

A young woman approached Grindelwald, carrying a skull in her hands. He took the hose that was attached to it and inhaled deeply. When he exhaled, dark grey smoke poured from his mouth, filling the room. Suddenly, the scene transformed. People were running around, panicked, and large tanks were moving through the area. Small planes flew above the city, buildings collapsing beneath them. A large crowd of people was slowly making their way from the ruined town, the line stretching far into the distance.

Newt was filled with memories from the last war. They were bad memories, but this was much worse.

Tina also recognized it to be a war. She hadn't been involved in the last war, she had been too young, even if she had been a man. She had, however, heard how horrible it was. She had been glad not to have been a part of it but she knew that, if another war did break out, she would be in the middle of it. She was an Auror and she was already involved in dealing with Grindelwald. She knew he would be responsible for the war and, whether or not MACUSA wanted her too, she was going to do everything she could to help stop him.

Suddenly, there was a violent explosion in the middle of the space. The image of a huge ball of fire and smoke billowed up, nearly reaching the ceiling. Newt stared at it. It didn't look magical but it was bigger and more violent than anything he had ever seen a Muggle create.

Tina stared up at the explosion. She had no idea what it was. All she knew was that it would destroy hundreds of people and that it was made by No-Majs.

The smoke lifted and Grindelwald began shouting, claiming that he wanted to prevent this.

Newt knew he had to get the blood pact. Moving as discretely as he could, he pulled out his wand and pointed it at his case, summoning the Niffler. It slipped out of the back and began moving along the row.

Grindelwald paused, looking up towards the back of the room.

"There are Aurors here among us," he declared.

Murmurs broke out throughout the crowd and Tina inhaled sharply. She glanced around her, hoping not to draw attention to herself. _How does he know I'm here?_ she wondered.

Newt also thought that Grindelwald meant Tina. He glanced at her. She looked scared. Then Newt's gaze flickered up and he saw what Grindelwald meant. At least a hundred Aurors had flooded into the mausoleum, lining the back wall. Grindelwald called them forward and they began making their way down the aisles.

Grindelwald began speaking again, casually explaining what Aurors had done to him in the past. However, Newt and Tina recognized for what it was: a taunt. He was playing with the feelings of his followers, waiting for one of them to lash out.

And one did.


	44. Flames

"No!" Grindelwald's shout filled the mausoleum. Newt stared at the body of the young woman lying motionless on the floor. He recognized her as the same woman that had been on the street corner earlier that day.

Tina had stared in shock as she had watched the young woman fall to the ground. She had been killed by an Auror. She had tried to attack him and he had retaliated with an Unforgivable curse when even the simplest of shield charms would have protected him. Now she understood why Newt had said what he had about Aurors and she knew that many of her coworkers would have reacted the same way. 

Grindelwald knelt beside the young woman's body, gently stroking her vibrant orange hair. Something caught Newt's eye. The Niffler had finally reached him and was crawling under his feet.

"Take this young warrior back to her family," Grindelwald called. He moved away from the body and people moved to take her.

Tina watched, nearly crying. She was scared. Everything was going wrong.

"Disapparate," Grindelwald commanded. "Leave. Go forth from this place and spread the word. It is not we who are violent."

Everyone began Disapparating. Soon the only people in the mausoleum were Newt, Tina, Leta, Theseus, Kama, Nagini, Credence, Jacob, Queenie, all the Aurors, Grindelwald's closest followers, and, of course, Grindelwald himself.

Grindelwald had moved back to the center of the platform.

"Let's take him," Theseus whispered, the shape of the amphitheater amplifying it and echoing it across the room.

Grindelwald raised his wand and spun in a circle, casting a ring of blue fire around the platform. His followers jumped through the flames, all but one of them Disapparating. However, one of the followers, a young man with a pleasant face, couldn't make it through the flames. Screaming in pain, he dissolved into ashes.

"Aurors!" Grindelwald called. "Join me in this circle. Pledge to me your eternal allegiance, or die. Only here shall you know freedom. Only here shall you know yourself."

Suddenly, the flames began to leave the circle, licking across the stairs. The Aurors began to run but it was hopeless. The flames caught them, instantly burning them to ashes.

"Play by the rules," Grindelwald taunted. "No cheating, children."

Newt saw Credence start towards the ring of fire. Nagini was trying to stop him.

"Credence!" he called, running towards him. A stream of fire appeared in front of him and he beat it back, but he couldn't get through. He was knocked backward, landing heavily on his shoulder.

Tina watched as Credence walked through the flames. Grindelwald pulled him into a hug then sent him away. She lowered her head. Her mission had failed. She hadn't been able to protect Credence and now Grindelwald had him. Suddenly, she heard Jacob's voice shouting across the room.

"Queenie, don't do it!"

Tina's head snapped up just in time to see her sister reach the ring of fire. She watched in horror as the young woman stepped through the flames, screaming in pain, but not burning up.

"Queenie!" she yelled as Grindelwald touched her sister's shoulder, sending her away from that place. A stream of fire reached her and she knocked it back. Fire was filling the whole mausoleum, killing more of the Aurors. A couple of them tried to Disapparated but the flames shot up and destroyed them before they were gone.

Newt watched as one of the Aurors, the man who had killed the young woman, step forward, joining Grindelwald in his circle.

"Mr. Scamander!" Grindelwald called. Newt and Theseus both stared at him. The younger knew he was being addressed. "Do you think Dumbledore will mourn for you?" he taunted.

Theseus stepped down to Newt's level. Suddenly, a jet of fire came towards them and they fell backward, raising their wands to block it.

"Grindelwald!"

Leta's voice cut through the sound of the fire. 

"Stop!"

Grindelwald lowered his wand and the fire attacking the brothers stopped abruptly. They could see Leta coming down the stairs towards the center. Theseus got to his feet and quickly started towards her. 

"Leta." He was quickly attacked by more flames and he was forced to push his way forward. The flames left him, moving to form a wall beside Leta. Newt was also trying to move towards his friend but the flames were making that impossible.

"This one I believe I know," Grindelwald said. Then he did what nobody expected. He left his circle, slowly walking towards the young woman. "Leta Lestrange. Despised entirely amongst wizards. Unloved. Mistreated. Yet brave." He stopped on the step below her and they looked each other in the eye. "So very brave."

Newt and Theseus watched as Grindelwald took a step away from her and offered him his hand. "Time to come home."

Leta slowly reached out and took his hand. He turned and began to move away, expecting her to follow him, but she didn't move. Her hand slipped from his. He hesitated before continuing to his circle. Leta turned towards the brothers but it was impossible to tell who she was looking at.

"I love you," she said simply.

Leta pulled out her wand and shot a spell at Grindelwald. He raised his wand to block it. She rotated her wrist, sending her second spell at the woman in the circle who flew backward, dropping the skull. It smashed into pieces, causing the flames to spread, forming a whirlpool of blue fire. 

"Go!" Leta called.

Newt stared in shock as Grindelwald approached her. Theseus had begun trying to move forward again. The pale man raised his wand and Leta dissolved into ashes. Newt moved quickly, grabbing his brother and Disapparating, appearing outside the mausoleum.

Tina had noticed very little of what had happened after her sister had gone through the flames. The next thing she had really noticed was the fire surrounding everyone. She had seen Leta dissolve and Newt Disapparate. Realizing she needed to get out of there, she ran around the room until she reached Jacob. Diving towards him, she grabbed him as she rolled past and Disapparated herself.

She ran through the buildings, trying to find the others. Suddenly, flames shot out a doorway and she was forced to jump back. She turned just in time to see the flames shooting down towards Jacob. She ran forward, pointing her wand at them to protect her friend. They finally found the others.

Tina, Newt, Theseus, and Kama climbed the stairs, shooting a countercurse at the fire about to crash on them. They joined the old man who was standing there.

"Together in a circle," he called. "Your wand into the earth. Or all Paris will be destroyed."

Newt and Theseus Disapparated, appearing on the other side of the cemetery. He saw the light of someone Apparating across the graveyard.

Tina and Kama had Apparated to another part of the cemetery. They could see the flames flying through the air, taking the shape of a large dragon.

" _Finite_!" Newt and Theseus yelled, ramming their wands down into the ground in unison.

" _Finite_!" Tina called, stabbing the ground with her own wand. Kama copied her actions.

A large crack appeared in the ground, a golden orange light streaming from it. The orange flames rose up, stopping the blue ones, keeping them in the circle.

One dragon of blue flame broke through the barrier. Newt and Theseus sent more fire towards it. It exploded in a combination of blue and orange flames, the orange ones snuffing out the blue ones. The brothers turned and continued sending the orange fire towards the remaining blue dragons.

The three fiery beasts rose in the air, spiraling around each other. The ring of people raised their wands, directing the countercurse at them. Tina ignored everything around her, focusing her efforts on stopping the fire. Theseus let out a yell beside Newt.

The two colors of fire battled together, but the orange was winning. It engulfed the blue flames snuffing them out before vanishing itself.

Suddenly, the cemetery went dark. Silent. The roar of the flames still ringing in their ears.

It was over.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went to Platform 9 3/4 today. I got my picture taken and I got a Ravenclaw Quidditch Jumper. I'm gonna wear it on the plane.


	45. After the Battle

Everything was silent. The only sound was the heavy breathing of those who had just stopped the flames. They all stood motionless, staring into the darkness.

Newt's unruly hair was messier than usual. He glanced at his brother whose usually neat hair was pushed right out of his face. He was staring forward, a vacant expression on his face. He glanced down then looked up at Newt. The younger brother stepped around his case and pulled the older man into a tight hug. He didn't usually like hugs, except from Tina, but Theseus needed one right now.

Newt could tell his brother was trying not to cry. "I've chosen my side," he murmured, remembering their conversation about sides the last time they had seen each other . . . and the last time they had hugged. He felt Theseus grip the back of his coat tightly. They hugged for a few more seconds before pulling away.

The two brothers looked at each other and Newt knew his brother was saying a silent thank you. Then he heard a small noise coming from the grass.

"Oh," he sighed, seeing the Niffler limping from the shadows. "Come here." He knelt down and held out his hands. "I've got you," he murmured. "I've got you." He picked up the little creature, gently stroking its matted fur with his thumb.

Newt slipped his fingers into the Niffler's pouch and pulled out the item inside. He held it up where he could see it and studied it. It was the little vial that had been pinned to Grindelwald's robes. He knew that this vial could change the fate of the entire world. Slipping it into his pocket, he carefully moved to place the Niffler in his case. Then he got to his feet and looked at his brother.

Theseus nodded slightly and they both Disapparated, appearing back where Jacob stood with the old man. The latter turned.

"Thank you," Newt said to him. "Thank you for your help. I'm afraid I'm not sure who you are though."

"Ah," the man said. He offered his hand. "Nicolas Flamel."

Newt started he knew the name. Slowly, carefully, he shook the man's hand. "Do you own the house Dumbledore sent us to?" he asked.

"Yes, he told me some friends of his were coming."

Newt nodded. Of course Dumbledore knew he'd end up going. "I'm--"

"Newt Scamander," Flamel finished. "Yes, I know. You're quite the famous author now."

Newt blushed slightly and nodded. Then his attention was called elsewhere by a loud crack. He looked up to see Kama appear at the top of the steps. He started.

"Where's--"

There was another crack and another figure appeared beside Kama.

"Tina," he breathed.

Tina staggered slightly, nearly falling. But before she could collapse, she felt a pair of strong arms encircle her. She let herself lean against him and he held her close.

"Shh," he murmured. "Shh, darling, you're okay. It's over now." 

Newt wanted to tell her that everything was alright, that everything would be alright, but it wasn't. He had seen what had happened. He had seen her sister walk through the flames.

He reached up and gently stroked her dark hair. It was messy, having been blown back during the fight, so he smoothed it down.

Tina buried her face in his chest. She longed to smell his familiar scent but he just smelled like smoke. Everything smelled like smoke. He pulled her closer, continuing to murmur soothingly into her ear. She was glad to have him there. He was so comforting. Most people would have tried to tell her that everything was okay now but he didn't. He knew that everything wasn't okay and she appreciated him for that.

Trying not to cry, she clung to Newt's coat. She could hear people talking, saying something about leaving. A moment later, she felt the familiar tug of Apparation. She reluctantly let go of Newt and they made their way across the street to Flamel's house. Newt was the last one to enter the house. When he entered it, Tina was nowhere to been found.

Tina had slipped up the stairs the moment she entered the house. Making her way down the hall, she found a door that was ajar. Pushing it open, she found herself in a small room with a bed, a chair, and shelves full of books. She closed the door behind her and turned the key in the lock. She reached for her wand but she hesitated. There was only one person who would come looking for her and, if she was being honest with herself, she wanted him to find her. He would be able to get through a door locked with a key but not a door locked with magic.

She moved further into the room, looking at the books on the wall. From the few she found in English, she guessed they were all about philosophy. However, most of them were in French, though a few were in Latin and some were written in runes. 

Sighing, she sunk into the chair. A few tears rolled down her cheeks and she reached up and swiped them away. She was tired of crying but she couldn't stop herself. This was her fault.

 

Flamel offered to get them something to eat and they all agreed it was a good idea. He left the house and Newt quietly slipped up the stairs. He moved down the hallway, trying the doors until he came across one that was locked. He knew Tina would be on the other side of it but he didn't know if he'd be welcome.

_Whether or not she wants me, I can't leave her in there alone. She needs someone and I can't let her think I'm not there for her_ , he decided. Pulling out his wand, he pointed it at the lock and murmured a spell.

" _Alohomora_."

The lock clicked open and Newt let out a sigh of relief. _She does want me_ , he realized. _If she didn't, that spell wouldn't have worked._

Newt gently pushed the door open and looked inside. Tina was sitting in the chair. She was curled up hugging her knees.

"Tina, darling?" he murmured. She raised her head slightly, not looking at him.

He closed the door behind him, turning the key in the lock and adding an enchantment to keep everyone else out. Then he slowly moved towards the chair. He gently rested his hand on her shoulder. She released her hold on her legs and reached up towards him. He was reminded of a child and he realized that that must have been how she was feeling.

Newt reached down and gently pulled Tina to her feet. Then he took her seat and pulled her down into his lap. She curled up again, burying her face in his chest. The smell of smoke had lifted slightly and she could almost smell Newt's familiar scent. She grabbed fistful's of his coat and let herself cry. Sobs wracked her body and he held her shaking form closer to him. He gently began stroking her hair again, murmuring into her ear.

Eventually, her tears slowed. 

"This is all my fault," she choked out.

Newt started. "How so?" he asked, a bit louder than he had intended.

Tina shifted her head to press her cheek to his chest so her voice wouldn't be muffled.

"I made Queenie do this. I got mad at her for dating Jacob and we stopped talking. I should have been a better sister but I wasn't and now she's gone. I never even told her I was sorry," she sobbed.

"No," Newt said firmly. "This is not your fault. Don't you even try to say it is. You aren't responsible for this. You can't help the fact that your sister fell in love with a No-Maj, no more than I could help falling in love with you. You didn't write that law that said magical and non-magical people couldn't get married. Sometimes love can drive people to do terrible things and there's nothing you can do about it. She did this because she wanted to marry Jacob, not because of you."

"But I didn't apologize," Tina repeated.

"I know, but I know Queenie has already forgiven you."

"How could you know?"

"Because she went to Paris to find you," Newt explained. "She wouldn't have been looking for you if she was still mad at you."

Tina didn't reply. Instead, she buried her face in his chest again. They were silent for several minutes.

"We might want to go downstairs, darling," Newt murmured presently. "I haven't eaten anything recently and I believe you haven't either."

Tina nodded but didn't move.

"Tina," he murmured. 

She finally moved, reluctantly crawling off of her fiancé's lap. He got to his feet and started towards the door. After lifting the enchantment, he unlocked the door and pulled it open. However, before he could go through, he heard Tina's voice.

"Newt," she said, her voice barely a whisper.

He stopped and turned. She was standing a few feet away from him, her shoulders slumped. Her head was down and she glanced up at him through her bangs.

"I love you," she mumbled.

Newt stepped towards her and pulled her into a hug. 

"I love you too," he replied.


	46. Hogwarts

The group traveled back to London the next morning via portkey, though this time it was a legal one. When they reached the city, they were joined by Travers, Speilman, and a handful of other Aurors. Then the large group Apparated to Hogwarts. Those who didn't know how to get there or couldn't Apparate were paired with someone who did. Kama took Nagini, who had his coat draped over her shoulders, Theseus offered to take Jacob, and Newt took Tina, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before letting go.

They stood on a long bridge leading towards the castle. Tina had to admit that the school was impressive, even bigger than Ilvermorny. Newt and Theseus stood beside each other, Tina stood slightly behind and between them. Newt was turned slightly so that the backs of his fingers were brushing against hers.

A man appeared at the far end of the bridge and Newt started forward. Tina moved to take his place but Travers and Speilman had moved to follow him.

"I think it's best if he speaks to him alone," Theseus said, his voice full of exhaustion.

Tina watched as her fiancé walked along the bridge, meeting the other man in the middle. They spoke for a minute before Newt pulled out something from his pocket. He was too far away for Tina to see what it was but, judging by the man's reaction, it was something important. He snatched it out of Newt's hand a few moments later and they continued speaking. Then he raised his hands in the air.

Tina could see two identical silver bands, one on each wrist. Recognizing them as admonitor bracelets like the one she had been forced to wear for almost a year, she glanced at Theseus who had raised his wand. He cast a spell and the bands fell away. Whatever Newt had pulled from his pocket hung in the air between them and they both stared at it. Eventually, the man took it from the air and the two of them started down the bridge. A moment later, Newt leaned down and set what Tina recognized as the Niffler on the ground. Then he glanced back and motioned for the group to follow.

Travers started forward immediately Theseus and Tina followed after him. The rest of the group moved after them. They followed them through the castle, down long corridors and through several doors, many of which were hidden behind tapestries. They finally came to a large classroom with a number of armchairs and couches.

Dumbledore motioned for everyone to take a seat. Newt looked around as everyone moved around the room, finding a place to sit. He watched as Tina sank into the corner of a small couch on the other side of the classroom. She glanced up at him. Their eyes met and they stared at each other for a moment. Newt wanted to go to her but he wanted her permission first and he didn't know how to ask it. However, Tina had noticed the shift in his expression and knew what he wanted. Her own expression changed slightly and he recognized it as an invitation. 

He moved wordlessly across the room, gently taking a seat beside his fiancée. She leaned against his shoulder, lacing their fingers together. He glanced around to make sure no one was looking then pressed a gentle kiss to her temple. He didn't know why he was hesitant to kiss her when people were watching but he was shy and his brother was there.

Eventually, a house elf appeared with a pot of tea. Everyone was served and there was even a little bowl of milk for the Niffler. Tina laughed softly as the black creature lapped at the white liquid. She stirred milk and sugar into her own tea and sipped it, enjoying the feeling of the warm liquid going down her throat.

"Since when did you drink tea?" Newt murmured.

Tina blushed and hid behind her mug. "Uh, I started a few months ago. I missed you too much. I know it's probably stupid but--"

"It's not stupid," Newt interrupted. "I-- I did the same thing," he admitted.

"What do you mean?"

"I started drinking coffee. I've never liked coffee but I missed the taste."

Tina raised her eyebrows. "You missed the taste? When did you ever taste it to miss it?"

Newt blushed. "Every time we kissed, I tasted coffee. I missed kissing you. I missed you."

Tina stared at Newt, her gaze flickering to his lips. She wanted to kiss him but before she could move forward, Travers stood up and demanded to know what had happened in Paris. Tina scowled and sat back in her chair. She had met Travers that morning and had instantly decided she didn't like him. 

Travers went around the room, forcing everyone to recount their reasons for being in Paris and their version of what had happened. Tina noticed that Newt had deftly avoided telling them why he had been in Paris. When he was done she told her own story, explaining that MACUSA had sent her to find Credence. Then the rest of the people shared their versions of the events. However, nobody mentioned Queenie's name or what happened to Leta. Those who had been close to them found it too painful to mention. Those who hadn't really known either of them well still understood what it must have felt like.

Unfortunately, they couldn't avoid discussing Credence. He had been the reason for everything that had happened. Both sides had wanted him and Grindelwald had won.

When everyone had told their story, a heavy silence fell over the room. Presently, Travers called Theseus. The older Scamander moved to stand with him and Spielman and the three of them began a quiet discussion. Newt watched them for a moment before turning to look at Tina.

Her head was resting on his chest and she let out a deep sigh. He gently placed two fingers under her chin, lifting her head so he could see her eyes. She offered him a tiny smile but he could see the haunted look in her gaze. She pulled away and leaned against the back of the couch. Newt could tell she was exhausted and he knew why. 

The night before, Tina had dragged him back up to the room after dinner and they had curled up in the chair once more. Neither of them had spoken a word the whole night but they hadn't slept much either. Tina had slept for about two hours but she had been restless, shifting constantly. Newt, on the other hand, hadn't slept at all. One reason had been because Tina wouldn't stop moving but another was a burning desire to protect the woman in his arms. It hadn't mattered to him that Tina could take care of herself, or that she had a better chance of protecting him than he had of protecting her.

Newt was ready to lean forward and kiss her, despite all the people around, when Travers's voice came across the room.

"Scamander," he called.

Newt sighed and looked up. Travers motioned for him to join them so he turned to Tina and offered her an apologetic glance. She nodded almost imperceptibly so he got to his feet and crossed the room.

"What is it?" he asked, mildly annoyed.

"We want to know why you were in Paris," Travers informed him.

"Why?"

"Did Dumbledore send you?"

"What does it matter?" Newt demanded. "I didn't go because anyone sent me. I went because--" he broke off.

"Because?" prompted Spielman.

"Because I needed to find Miss Goldstein," he admitted. "I learned she was in Paris and I needed to see her. I hadn't spoken to her in months and I needed to know what was going on."

"So you left the country illegally?" Travers asked.

"I had to. I needed to see her," Newt tried to explain. "You see, there was a problem and I could have solved it when it happened if you had just let me travel to New York but you didn't and the problem got worse."

"So you're blaming the Ministry?"

"No," Newt shook his head. "I'm just saying that I need to be allowed to leave the country. I need to be able to go to New York."

"Perhaps the Ministry would consider lifting your ban if you just told them why you need to go to New York," Spielman said.

Newt knew his brother was watching him and was suddenly nervous. "I -- uh--" He glanced back at the couch where he and Tina had been sitting. She wasn't there. He searched the room for her but he still didn't see her. Suddenly panicked, he turned back to the group of people. "I -- Excuse me. I'll explain my reasons but I need to speak to T-- to Miss Goldstein first."

He turned and hurried towards the door, snatching up his case as he passed. Ducking through the doorway, he looked in both directions. All he saw was an empty hallway.


	47. Finally Together

Newt took a deep breath to calm himself. He knew Tina couldn't have gone far. Gripping the handle of his case tighter, he turned to the left. The corridor to the right stretched a long way and he was certain that he would have still been able to see her if she had gone that way. However, on the left, it came to a wall only a few meters away and split in two directions. He glanced to his right.

Tina was sitting on a stone bench, her back to him. She had taken off her coat and draped it over the bench beside her. She was facing a window, staring out across the mountains.

A small smile tugged on Newt's lips as he approached her.

"You shouldn't wander the halls of Hogwarts on your own," he scolded fondly. "You might get lost."

Tina turned and offered him a small smile. "I only went a short distance from the classroom."

"You could still get lost. You don't know Hogwarts at all. Even the professors who have been here the longest can still find it tricky to take the fastest route to get to their destination," he told her.

"Well, I knew you'd come after me so I didn't think it would be a problem."

Newt offered her a small smile. "I was afraid you might have wanted to be alone."

"I do want to be alone," Tina replied. "I want to be alone with you."

Newt chuckled and she patted the bench beside her. He moved over and set his case on the floor beside it. Then he tugged off his coat, laying it on top of Tina's, before taking a seat beside her. She fingered the heavy grey material.

"You got a new coat," she observed.

"Yes, the other one was getting a bit worn out," Newt explained. "I still have it though. It's in my shed at home."

"I liked the old coat, but I like this one too," Tina murmured.

Newt slipped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer. She looked up and he leaned down to press a gentle kiss to her lips. She turned slightly, slipping her arms around his neck. They kissed slowly, enjoying the feeling of being together.

Tina melted into the kiss. She had almost forgotten just how wonderful it was to kiss Newt. It was the most amazing feeling in the world. She had missed it so much. Even this gentle kiss was mindblowing. It was a thousand times more wonderful than any kiss she had ever shared with Achilles.

She gasped and pulled away.

"Newt!" she breathed.

"What's wrong?" he asked gently, startled by the horrified look on her face.

"Newt, I cheated on you!" she gasped. "I was dating Achilles!"

Newt's expression didn't change much. The only change was the faint line that appeared on his forehead. Tina recognized it as a sign of him sinking into thought.

"I know, Tina," he murmured. "I know about Tolliver. Qu-- Queenie told me."

"She did?"

Newt nodded. "Listen, if you want to go back to Tolliver, I won't stop you but--" He broke off because Tina had started laughing.

"Oh, Newt," she giggled. "Sometimes you're just so dense."

Newt frowned slightly. She leaned forward and pressed a kiss to Newt's cheek. 

"I'm never going to leave you, Newt. I don't love Tolliver. I never really did. It was just a desperate attempt to forget you and it didn't work, believe me. I owe Tolliver an apology but I'm sure it'll be fine." She pressed a brief kiss to his lips. "I agreed to marry you because I really want to. I love you, Newt."

Newt smiled slightly and she kissed him again. Then she got to her feet and stepped towards the window. He followed after her, slipping his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. They stood like this for several minutes, enjoying the view.

"This place really is quite beautiful," Tina admitted.

"It's not as beautiful as you are," Newt murmured, staring out the window.

Tina turned slightly to look at him and he glanced at her, an embarrassed look on his face. Their gazes met and Newt quickly found himself lost in the infinite dark pools that were her eyes. The fire in them had returned. It hadn't been there the night before but it was back. Before he could stop himself, he gently pushed her against the wall, trapping her between the smooth stone and himself.

Tina felt the wall against her back. Newt stepped closer, his warm body contrasting sharply with the cold stone behind her. There was a light in his eyes, a light that she recognized and had missed. He was staring at her intently, his gaze occasionally flickering down to her lips. She knew he wanted to kiss her, to kiss her passionately, but he was waiting for permission.

"Please," she murmured. "Please just--"

But Newt didn't let her finish. That one simple word had been enough. It had been her invitation for their first kiss and was her invitation for this one. His pressed his lips firmly against hers, deepening the kiss almost immediately. He moved forward, pushing her further against the wall. Raising his hands to her cheeks, he pulled her head away from the wall, tilting it so he could kiss her more easily. She moved her own arms to settle around his neck, clinging to him tightly.

The moment their lips touched, Tina felt like the world around them had stopped. She could hardly breathe. Newt's lips felt like fire, suffocating her, making her feel light-headed, but she didn't care. She needed this. It had been six long months since she had been able to kiss him but it was finally over.

Eventually, the kiss slowed. Tina sighed happily against Newt's lips. He turned his head slightly, pressing gentle kisses to her cheeks.

"Oh, Newt," Tina breathed. "You don't know how much I've missed this."

Newt began trailing kisses along her jaw. "Yes, I do, Tina," he murmured. "Yes, I do."

She turned to connect their lips once more. His hands moved from her shoulders down to her waist. He slipped them between her and the wall, pulling her closer to him. It had been too long since they'd been able to kiss each other and it was more amazing than Newt remembered. He could taste tea on her lips. It wasn't the familiar taste of coffee he had become accustomed too but it didn't matter. At least he had her. They continued to kiss passionately for a few minutes before pulling away to catch their breath.

"Oh, darling," Newt mumbled.

A small smile tugged on Tina's lips.

"I honestly thought I'd never hear you call me that again," she said. 

"I'm always going to call you darling," Newt murmured.

He stared into her eyes. The love in them was overwhelming. He slowly reached up and brushed the back of a finger against her jaw. She shivered.

Wordlessly, she reached up her own hand and began tracing a finger along the side of Newt's face. He watched her as she traced her finger along his jaw. She was studying his face as she ran her finger down his nose and across his cheekbone. 

"What are you doing?" he murmured.

Tina blushed slightly. "Memorizing your face," she said shyly. "It's been so long since I've seen you. I've missed you so much."

He chuckled slightly and her blush intensified but she laughed as well and continued tracing a finger along his face. 

"You have so many freckles," she giggled. 

"You're just noticing?"

"No, but I'd forgotten just how many you have." She lowered her hand and her eyes ran over his cheeks, counting some of them. "I wish I could give you a kiss for every freckle you have," she murmured.

Newt laughed again. "You could try but I think we'd be here forever."

Tina laughed as well and proceeded to press a number of short, sweet kisses to his lips. However, she soon got tired of that and planted her lips more firmly against his. He returned her kiss, gently pulling her closer. They kissed slowly for a minute before Newt pushed her further against the wall, deepening the kiss. He brought a hand up to her head, tangling his fingers in her soft hair. One of her hands slipped behind his neck, the other gripping the fabric of his waistcoat. They kissed passionately, oblivious to everything around them.

Suddenly, they heard someone clear his throat behind them. They broke apart and turned to find that person sitting on the bench, an amused smile on his face.

"Dumbledore!" Newt gasped. He tried to jump away from Tina but didn't release his hold on her, causing them both to stumble. When they had finally managed to regain their balance, they stood side by side, about a foot apart, their heads bowed and embarrassed blushes on their cheeks. They looked like two students who had just been caught kissing in the corridors after they were supposed to be in bed.

Dumbledore chuckled. "Never, in all my years at Hogwarts, have I seen two students kissing as passionately as you two. And I must say, I'm glad I haven't."

Newt's blush deepened. "No, Dumbledore, you see, Tina is my--"

"Fiancée," Dumbledore finished. "Yes, Mr. Kowalski mentioned you had been engaged and that you might have some issues you needed to work out." He grinned. "However, judging by the position I found you in I'd say you've figured things out."

Tina felt her cheeks grow even warmer. Newt's fingers brushed against hers and she quickly grabbed his hand.

"Was -- was there something you needed?" Newt stammered.

"Yes, I came to discuss something with the two of you."

Tina started. "Me?"

"Yes," Dumbledore said. "I assume the two of you will be staying together, or at least will be soon. I believe it's best if Mr. Kowalski and Nagini stay with you. Neither of them can defend themselves against a magical attack and both of them might be in danger. Would you be willing to take care of them?"

"Yes, of course," Newt said. "I mean--" He glanced at Tina.

"Yes," she confirmed. "Jacob's our friend and the girl has nowhere to go. We'll protect them."

"Good," Dumbledore nodded. He got to his feet and began to turn, then he hesitated. "Ah, and Travers was about to go looking for you. He's not particularly happy about you running off."

Newt looked embarrassed. "Right. We'll go find him."

He moved forward, grabbing his coat and his case. Tina also grabbed her coat and they made their way back to the classroom. Travers was still standing where he had been with Spielman and Theseus. Newt and Tina quickly crossed the room.

"I'm sorry," Newt said quickly. 

Theseus gave his brother a curious look.

"Well, are you going to tell us why you need to go to New York?" Travers demanded.

"Yes, I need to be able to go with Tina," he said, gesturing to his fiancée. "She lives there and I need to be able to go there with her."

"But why?" Theseus asked.

Newt blushed but Tina gave his hand a reassuring squeeze.

"B-because -- Because soon enough, she's going to be my wife," he explained, blushing fiercely.

Travers's expression didn't change but a look of understanding formed on Spielman's face. However, Theseus looked startled.

"What?" he stammered. "You're getting married?"

Newt nodded.

"When did this happen?" his brother demanded.

"It's complicated," Newt replied. He turned to Travers. "I just need to be able to leave the country. Please."

"We'll see," Travers said coldly.

 

Newt and Tina joined hands with Jacob and Nagini and Newt Apparated to an alley near his house. Then he led them down the street and up to his front door. He tried the doorknob and the door swung open. He let the others enter first before following them into the house. Jacob and Nagini sunk into chairs but Tina stood in the middle of the room, looking around.

Closing the door behind him, Newt moved across the room, slipping his arms around Tina's waist. She sighed and leaned against him, her back resting against his chest.

"So what are we going to do now?" he murmured.

Tina turned in his arms, facing him. "Once your travel ban has been lifted we'll go back to New York so that I can get my things and quit my job--"

"What?" Newt exclaimed. "You can't quit your job!"

Tina smiled slightly. "I can and I will, Newt."

"But you love your job!"

"I do, but I love you more." Tina ran a hand through his hair.

"But, Tina, we already decided that once we got married we'd live in New York so that you could keep your job," Newt protested.

"Newt, I can't stay in New York anymore. You should understand that," Tina sighed. "Besides, I'm sure your brother can help me get a job here, even if it means working for Travers."

Newt chuckled. He glanced around the room. Jacob was staring into space and Nagini had fallen asleep on the couch. He turned back to Tina.

"Come with me, darling," he murmured. "I want to show you something."

Tina nodded and let Newt pull her through a door. They came to the top of a concrete staircase and he led her down. She gasped. They had come into a large space, crossed with a few stairs. A large lake could be seen across the room.

"You made all this?" she breathed.

"Uh-- yes," Newt mumbled, blushing slightly.

"This is amazing," she murmured. 

"Tomorrow I'll let you help me feed the creatures," Newt said. "They should already have been fed today so . . ."

Tina looked at him. "You want me to help you feed your creatures?"

"No, Tina. I want you to help me feed _our_ creatures."

" _Our_ creatures?" she repeated.

Newt nodded. "You're marrying me, you get the creatures as well."

Tina laughed and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "I'm not complaining." She was touched. Newt's creatures meant the world to him and yet he was willing to share them with her, even though she had done nothing but hurt him.

Newt moved towards the stairs and motioned for Tina to follow him.

"Bunty!" he called. He knew his assistant was there. The front door had been unlocked. "Bunty!"

There was a slight scuffling noise and Bunty appeared at the bottom of the stairs.

"Newt!" she gasped, hurrying up to the landing he was on. "You're back!"

Tina studied the young woman. Her frizzy red hair was pulled back in two messy buns. Bunty's gaze slid to Tina.

"Who are you?" she asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

"Uh, this is Tina," Newt said. "She's my--" He broke off and glanced at Tina nervously. She nodded slightly. "She's my fiancée," he finished.

Bunty started. "Fiancée?" she exclaimed.

Newt and Tina both nodded.

"We've been engaged since February, technically," Newt said. "I'd have told you earlier but I wasn't sure if we were still engaged."

"You have been very depressed lately," Bunty said. Her voice had a distant quality to it, as if she wasn't really paying attention. "I suppose that makes sense." She seemed to realize that she was staring at Tina. "I'm sorry, I need to go do--" She broke off and ran down the stairs.

"I'm sure she'll warm up to you," Newt said as he watched his assistant vanish into an enclosure.

"She's just a little jealous," Tina agreed.

"Jealous?"

She glanced at her. "What? Haven't you noticed?"

Newt frowned slightly. "Noticed what?"

"Bunty has a crush on you. I noticed that from your letters."

"Oh," he murmured. Suddenly, things were beginning to make sense. The way her behavior changed when he entered the room, the way she was always asking him to remove his shirt, it was all because she had a crush on him.

Tina laughed slightly and pulled Newt towards her. She leaned forward and pressed her lips to his. He kissed her back, slipping his arms around her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling her closer.

"I love you," she mumbled against his lips.

She felt Newt smile into the kiss before deepening it. As they kissed, she realized that, at least here in Newt's basement, nothing could get to them. They were together and they were safe. Nothing else mattered.


	48. Back Home

Newt's travel ban had been lifted two days after they had gotten back from Paris. The first thing he had done when he had learned was to purchase two tickets for the first boat to New York. Jacob and Nagini had chosen not to go and Newt had made arrangements for them to stay at Hogwarts until they returned.

Newt led Tina along the narrow hall in the ship until they reached their room. Tina had insisted on sharing a room with him, claiming that she didn't want to be alone. He had agreed somewhat shyly but he didn't mind the thought of sharing a room with her. However, he was still hesitant to share a bed with her.

Newt and Tina had expected their room to have two separate beds, that had been what they had requested. When they unlocked the door to their cabin and pushed it open, they were met with a surprise. A single bed sat in the middle of the room. It was large enough for the both of them but they couldn't escape the fact that there was only one. The two of them stood side by side, staring at the ground with embarrassed expressions on their faces.

They had closed the door behind them so Tina pulled out her wand. With a flick of her wrist, the bed split into two, each bed settling against opposite walls. The room was decently large since Newt had insisted on paying for both tickets and had decided that, if they were going to share a room, they should at least share a nice room. Tina had tried to protest, thinking it was too expensive, but he had reminded her that he could afford it since he now had more money than he knew what to do with.

That night, they curled up in their respective beds and tried to go to sleep. Newt drifted in and out of a restless sleep. A few hours after he had crawled into bed, he was wide awake, tossing and turning, trying to go back to sleep.

"Newt?" Tina's murmur reached his ears and he rolled over. He could see her outline standing by his bed. 

"Tina?" he mumbled.

The tip of her wand lit up, filling the room with a soft light.

"I can't sleep."

Newt sat up and swung his legs off his bed.

"Neither can I," he responded. He got to his feet and pulled her into a hug.

Tina sighed. "Can we sleep together?"

Newt started. "What?"

"Can we put the beds back together and sleep in the same bed?" she reiterated.

A slight blush formed on Newt's cheeks. "I suppose, uh, if you w-want to."

Tina nodded and they moved out from between the beds. She waved her wand and the beds joined together. She and Newt slowly crawled into the larger bed.

Newt lay still, his back to Tina. He didn't know what to do with himself. He had never shared a bed with anyone, not even his brother. But Tina had curled up against his back. He rolled over hesitantly, draping his arm over her waist. "Good night, Tina," he murmured.

Tina's only response was a gentle snore and Newt chuckled. She was already fast asleep.

 

Tina woke up the next morning with a peaceful smile on her face. For the first time in nights, her sleep hadn't been haunted by nightmares of a raging blue fire. She blinked her eyes sleepily, trying to figure out where she was. Then she blushed. She was in Newt's arms. Her head was resting against his chest and somehow she had slipped her hand between two of the buttons on his pajama shirt, her palm pressed against his skin, searching for the warmth of his chest. His own arms were around her, holding her close, and she could feel that one of his hands had slipped under her own shirt and was resting on the small of her back. Their legs were tangled together with the sheets.

She knew she should move. The position wasn't exactly inappropriate, but it was embarrassing, and Newt was more easily embarrassed than she was. But Tina couldn't bring herself to pull away from him. He was so warm and looked so peaceful.

_Soon enough, every morning can be like this_ , she realized. Her smile widened.

Newt's eyes fluttered open and he smiled sleepily at the woman in his arms.

"Good morning, darling," he murmured. Tina blushed and tried to pull away but Newt held her closer. "Where are you going? You don't like being so close to me?"

Tina laughed slightly. "I do but I thought you'd be embarrassed. You're usually easily embarrassed. I'm surprised you're not blushing now."

"Oh believe me, when I first woke up and found us like this I was blushing."

"When was that?" Tina murmured.

Newt shrugged. "A few hours ago, maybe. I don't know."

Tina started. "You mean we've been like this for several hours?"

"Yes." He gently pressed a kiss to her forehead. Then she did move, shifting slightly so she could kiss him properly. He returned the kiss and then Tina snuggled closer to him.

"I could get used to this," she murmured.

"We'll have to get used to it," Newt replied. "We're getting married, aren't we?"

Tina's face broke into a smile. "Yes, we are," she breathed, kissing Newt again.

They lay there for several minutes, neither one moving. Eventually, Newt spoke.

"We should get up, Tina. I've got to feed the creatures and we need to get breakfast."

"But I don't want to move," she mumbled into his chest.

"Tina," he groaned.

Tina laughed and slowly pulled away from Newt. "Okay, we'll get up."

 

Newt and Tina spent most of the day down in the case. That night they agreed that they should separate the beds again, though this time they only placed them a foot apart. They both slept soundly that night and when they woke up the next morning, they found themselves holding hands, bridging the gap between the beds.

On the third day, they had eaten dinner together as usual but Newt had left the table earlier than Tina. He had offered to wait for her but she had told him it would be fine. She knew he was concerned about one of the Graphorns which had seemed to be getting sick. When she had finished her food, she had slowly made her way along the deck. There were a few people there, leaning over the rail, talking and laughing as if nothing was wrong.

Tina had tried not to think about it, about what her sister had done, but it was hard. Sometimes her mind wandered there without her permission. She could usually shake the thought away, except for when something specific had put it there. In this case, it was a young woman. She was about Queenie's age and had short, blond hair. From the back, she looked almost identical to the younger Goldstein and Tina had nearly called her sister's name. Then the woman had turned and she had seen it wasn't her.

A wave of sadness washed over, hitting her as hard as the waves hit the boat. She felt light-headed and quickly made her way over to the nearest bench. She sunk into it, burying her face in her hands. She took a deep, shaky breath, trying to calm herself down, but it didn't work. Tears spilled down her cheeks and she wiped them away hastily. She stayed there for several minutes, hugging her knees to her chest and staring out across the ocean. Every now and then, a tear would escape, rolling down her cheeks, leaving a wet trail that the wind quickly dried, making her face colder than it had been before.

Out of the corner of her eyes, Tina saw a young man approach her hesitantly.

"Are you alright, miss?" he asked when he had reached her.

Tina looked at him and managed a small smile. She nodded once. "Y-yes, I'm alright," she said.

"Are you sure?" the man insisted. He had a pleasant voice with a hint of a British accent. "It's just that, people don't usually cry unless something is wrong."

Tina instinctively reached up to wipe the tears off her face, inadvertently flashing her engagement ring as she did so. "Well, I suppose . . ." She trailed off, unsure of where that sentence had been going.

"Is it something to do with your fiancé?" the man asked.

A small smile crept onto her face. "No, my fiancé and I are on quite good terms." She gestured for the man to take a seat, glad for the chance to talk to someone. 

"Then what is it?" The man looked embarrassed. "Sorry, I shouldn't push."

"No, it's alright," Tina sighed. "It's actually my sister. She's, well, she made a very bad decision and left both me and her fiancé in order to join a not very good group of people."

"Oh," the man murmured. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," Tina replied. "I suppose it's not anyone's fault, really, except the man who manipulated her."

"Would you tell me your name?"

"Uh, Tina-- Tina Goldstein," she said.

The man nodded. "And once you're married?"

"Um, Scamander," she said, a small smile dancing on her lips. "I'll be Tina Scamander." As she said that, she felt a shiver go down her spine. She had never really thought about the fact that her name would be changed but now that she had she felt even more excited than before. She had been Tina Goldstein for twenty-six years but Tina Scamander sounded just as natural. She looked at the man. "And you are?"

"Oh, right, sorry. Um, James Forbes." He extended his hand and Tina shook it. "You don't have to tell me this but, what's your fiancé's name?"

"I don't mind. His name's Newt," she said.

"Newt like the animal?" 

Tina nodded.

Forbes chuckled. "I'm sorry but it's an unusual name," he apologized.

"He's an unusual man," Tina replied with a shrug. She began fidgetting with the cuff of her coat sleeve. "I suppose I should -- uh -- I should go find him. He might start wondering where I am since I told him I'd be along shortly."

"Right," Forbes said, getting to his feet. Tina stood up as well.

"It was nice talking to you," she said, offering him her hand. "Thank you, Mr. Forbes."

"You're welcome, Miss Goldstein," he said, shaking her hand. "I'll see you around?"

"Yes." Tina nodded and turned to leave. 

She quickly made her way down to the room and pushed the door open. The room was empty but she wasn't worried. As she passed the bathroom door, she caught a glimpse of her reflection. She stopped. She didn't look as bad as she had on some occasions but her face was tearstained. Quickly ducking into the bathroom, she turned on the tap and splashed water onto her face, drying it with a towel. Then she left the room and made her way over to Newt's case which sat open on the floor.

Tina quickly descended the ladder into the shed. Pushing the door open, she made her way out into the rest of the case. She glanced around. It was difficult to know where Newt might be so she began wandering around. She rounded a corner and nearly walked into him. He had his back to her and was busy filling a bucket of feed.

Tina started. Newt's top was bare, his shirt hanging on a hook a few feet away. But what had startled Tina was the fact that his back was covered in scars, crisscrossing his skin like the roads on a map. She let out a gasp and Newt spun around.

"Tina!" he exclaimed, reaching for his shirt. But Tina stopped him.

"Newt, your back!" she breathed. "And your chest!" she added, seeing that his chest had just as many, if not more scars than his back did. She took a step forward, hesitantly reaching a hand up and gently tracing a finger over some of his larger scars. "How?"

"Uh, my creatures," Newt said, blushing as Tina's fingers glided over his skin. "I know it's hideous. I won't blame you if you never want to see me shirtless again."

"It's not hideous," Tina protested. "I-- I think scars are important, you see--" She broke off and lowered her hand, blushing slightly. "Let me show you something."

Turning her back to Newt, she motioned for him to lift her shirt.

"Tina, are you sure?"

"It's only my lower back, Newt. Just look."

Newt's fingers gently clutched the white fabric, pulling it upwards to expose her lower back. Now it was Newt's turn to gasp. Her back, like his, had a number of scars marring the surface of her otherwise smooth skin. 

Tina felt the fabric flutter down to cover her back. She turned slowly.

"Those are just a few of my scars," she admitted. "My upper back, my chest, and my arms have a lot more."

Newt stared at her in shock. "When did you get all those?"

"Uh, mostly when I was between 18 and 20 or maybe 22, back when I was still new to working as an Auror. Of course, I got a few of them after that. I got the most recent just a few months ago," Tina explained.

"But I've seen your back and arms uncovered before," Newt said, pulling on his shirt and swiftly doing up the buttons. "You know, when we first met and you took us to the Blind Pig. Your dress didn't -- didn't exactly cover much of you back or your arms but I didn't see any scars at all."

Tina laughed softly. "I used magic to temporarily hide them. The only people who have seen them are my sister, the healers who treated them, and now you."

"Oh," Newt murmured. He pulled her into a tight hug. "You were crying."

Tina hesitated, then nodded slightly. "A bit, but I'm fine now."

"Do you want to tell me about it?" he asked.

"Not now," she replied. "Later, before bed."

 

The boat arrived in New York two days later. Newt and Tina quickly made their way back to the apartment. They slipped up the stairs and Tina dug in her pocket for her keys. She pushed the door opened and they stepped inside the room. Newt flicked on the lights.

Tina choked back a sob as she looked around the apartment. Nothing had changed but everything felt different. She felt Newt's hand on her back so she turned quickly, burying her face in his chest. She didn't want to look at the room. Everything in it reminded her of Queenie, but she knew she'd have to go through everything, packing it all up so they could take it to England.

"Shh," Newt murmured.

Tina pulled away, wiping her eyes. "I'm sorry. I'll be fine."

"I know you miss her," he assured her.

She nodded. "Thank you, Newt."

Newt offered her a smile, gently pulling her back into a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next two chapters are the last so this will finish tomorrow.


	49. Final Goodbyes

Newt and Tina spent the next few days going through everything in the house, packing it safely away in boxes which Newt labeled and organized because Tina couldn't be bothered to do it. He stacked them all in an empty enclosure in his case so that they could be transported easily. 

Tina had managed not to start crying while going through most of the things in the living room but eventually she knew she couldn't avoid the one thing she wanted to avoid: going through Queenie's things.

"In a way, it would be easier if she had died," Tina had commented as she carefully, packed Queenie's clothes. "Then, at least, she would just be gone and I'd know there was no hope. And she'd still be a good person. But since she followed Grindelwald--"

She hadn't been able to finish the thought but Newt had understood what she meant. He knew how badly losing her sister was affecting her, and how badly being in their apartment was too. 

Every night they had been there, Newt had been woken up by Tina's muffled cries. Every night, he had climbed out of bed and crossed the room to where Tina lay, still asleep. He had knelt by the bed, or sat on the edge, taking her hand in his and alternated between gently rubbing her back and stroking her hair. He would stay there until she had calmed down and her tears had slowed. Then he would slowly make his way back to Queenie's bed, where he was sleeping, and go back to sleep. The next morning, Tina would wake up with no memory of Newt comforting her, or of the dream itself. Until the seventh night.

That night, Tina hadn't calmed down. She was gripping Newt's hand tightly, sobbing in her sleep. He hadn't wanted to wake her up but nothing he did could make her stop crying. Eventually, he gave in and carefully climbed onto the narrow bed, slipping under the covers. Tina had immediately pulled him closer, unconsciously burying her face in his chest. He had held her close and eventually her tears had slowed. He had decided to wait a few minutes before returning to his own bed but he had fallen asleep a few moments later.

That morning, Tina woke up to find herself staring at the fabric of Newt's pajama shirt. She gasped, pulling back suddenly, waking him up. He blinked at her sleepily then realized she was actually here.

"Tina!" He began trying to climb out of the bed. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have-- I--"

Tina moved to press a kiss to his lips, effectively silencing his embarrassed rambling. She felt him relax in her arms.

"Newt, I don't mind," she assured him. "I was just startled, that's all. I didn't expect to find you here." She paused, frowning slightly. "What are you doing here?"

Newt blushed slightly. "Uh-- you were having a nightmare and, um, my usual ways of getting you to calm down weren't working so I thought that if I would be able to hold you, you'd quiet down. It worked and I meant to leave but I -- I fell asleep."

"What do you mean your usual ways?" Tina asked. "Have I had nightmares before?"

"You've had nightmares every night since we got here."

"Oh . . ." Tina rolled onto her back, staring up at the ceiling. "I'm so sorry."

Newt frowned. "For what?"

"I've been keeping you from sleeping well," she said.

He laughed. "Tina, you're ridiculous. It hasn't bothered me at all."

They fell silent, neither one wanting to move, but Newt knew he had to get up.

"We need to get out of bed, darling," he murmured. "I've got to feed the creatures and make us breakfast before we go to MACUSA. You've got a whole office to pack up today."

Tina sighed. "Fine," she mumbled. She began pushing Newt. "But I can't get out until you do."

Newt climbed out of the bed and reached for his case.

"Can I feed them today?" Tina asked. "You know, that way you can make breakfast and we can leave earlier."

Newt agreed and grabbed his clothes. He went to the bathroom to change before starting breakfast. Tina joined him a few minutes later, dressed in her usual white blouse and black pants. They ate quickly and then left the apartment, finding a hidden corridor to Disapparate from.

Tina's office looked exactly like it had when she had left it. Her desk was free of paperwork, though a single book lay on its surface. She looked around and let out a tired sigh.

"Today's gonna be a long day," she muttered.

"Just tell me what to do and I'll do it," Newt offered.

Tina moved around the office, looking at the different shelves and checking in all the drawers. "You could start with the books," she suggested. "That's something you wouldn't need my help doing. A lot of them are mine but some of them belong to MACUSA. Mine should all have my name in them and MACUSA's will all have the seal. Why don't you sort through them, packing them in separate boxes? Any that don't have my name or MACUSA's seal just leave on the desk and I'll deal with them later." She started toward the door.

"Where are you going?"

"I need to find Achilles and apologize to him."

Newt frowned slightly. He had never met Tolliver so he didn't know what the man was like. "Be careful."

Tina laughed. "Aren't I always?"

 

Tina made her way along the halls of MACUSA until she reached the door to Achilles's office. She glanced inside. He was sitting at his desk. Jeanette Pace was hovering behind him, leaning over his shoulder to read whatever was in front of him. He moved to write something on the page.

Tina cleared her throat. The pair of them looked up suddenly and Achilles gasped.

"Tina!"

Tina laughed slightly. "Hello."

"You're back!"

"Obviously." Tina took a step further into the room. "Hello, Pace."

Pace flashed her a winning smile. "Goldstein," she said.

"But when did you get back?" Achilles asked.

"About a week ago," Tina said.

Achilles pushed his chair back and got to his feet. Pace stretched up and whispered something in his ear. His expression changed slightly.

"Oh, right." He looked at Tina nervously.

"Can we talk, Achilles, just you and me?" she asked.

Achilles nodded and looked at Pace. She nodded as well and left the room, flashing Tina a sly smile as she passed. She looked very self-satisfied and Tina suspected she knew the reason.

"So, you and Pace," Tina said, raising her eyebrows.

Achilles looked nervous. "Uh, we, uh-- She's my partner now. We work together," he stammered.

Tina laughed. "So did we."

"Look, Tina," Achilles started. "I'm sorry but I think we need to break up. We were never really close and you haven't written to me in months. I know you were on a mission but it made it hard to improve our relationship. I really like you but I never felt anything special between us. You always seemed so depressed and distant." He paused. "You seem much more . . . alert and cheerful today."

A smile tugged at Tina's lips.

"You're not upset?" Achilles asked.

"Do you want me to be?" 

"N-no. Of course not. I was terrified of telling you because I didn't want to hurt you but Jeanette said I should. You never really told me what was going on at home but I could tell something was wrong and I didn't want to hurt you by leaving you."

Tina offered him a smile. "Thank you, Achilles. I'm not upset. In fact, I was coming down here for just that reason: to tell you we can't keep dating."

"What? You were going to break up with me?"

Tina nodded. "You see, I owe you an apology."

"How so?" Achilles asked. He moved around the desk, resting against it. "You didn't do anything wrong."

"Yes, I did. I -- Well, I used you," she admitted. She raised her left hand, showing him her ring. "You see, I'm engaged."

"Engaged!" Achilles stared at her. "When did you get engaged?"

"Uh, see, that's the complicated thing. Technically, I've been engaged since February, since before we met."

"Then why--"

"Let me explain," Tina interrupted. "There was a mistake and I overreacted. Due to some miscommunication, I thought my fiancé and I were no longer engaged and I wanted to forget him. I thought that if I started dating someone I would forget about him but I couldn't. I'm really sorry, Achilles. I shouldn't have done that. It was wrong."

"It's okay, Tina. I won't hold it against you," Achilles said.

"Thank you."

There was a moment of silence.

"You and your fiancé are together now?" Achilles asked.

"Yes, he learned I was in Paris and managed to find me. We eventually got to talk things through and we figured out what had happened." Tina smiled. "We both still wanted to get married so . . ." She trailed off.

"Well, congratulations," Achilles said. "I'm very happy for you. You look much happier than you ever did with me."

"Thank you, Achilles," Tina replied. She hesitated. "I do want you to know that I did like you, I just didn't love you the way I love my fiancé."

Achilles nodded.

"I need to go," she went on. "And I suppose you have work to do."

"Yes. It was good to see you again."

"It was good to see you too," Tina said. She turned to leave but she hesitated. "I hope you'll have better luck with Pace than you did with me."

Achilles blushed slightly and Tina left the room. She made her way back up to her office where she found Newt kneeling on the floor, packing books in a box. He looked up when she entered.

"Well?"

Tina smiled, dropping to the ground next to him. She pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"It's fine. Achilles wanted to break up with me anyway. I won't be surprised if he starts dating Jeanette Pace soon."

"So you're all mine now?" Newt asked.

Tina laughed. "I'm all yours."

Newt pulled her closer to him, pressing a kiss to her lips. She returned it. A moment later, she pulled away and sneezed.

"You're sitting in a cloud of dust," she protested.

He laughed as he watched her pull out her wand. She flicked her wrist, casting a spell, and all the dust in the room vanished.

"Are you going to lend me a hand now?" he asked.

Tina shook her head. "Soon, but I've got to write my resignation first."

"You're really resigning?"

"Yes, Newt. We're packing up my office, aren't we?"

Tina rummaged around until she found a clean piece of parchment, a quill, and a bottle of ink. She uncorked the bottle and dipped the quill inside. Then she began to write. When she was done, she folded the letter and slipped it into an envelope, sealing it shut.

Setting the letter to one side, she pulled open the bottom drawer and took out all the files in it. She slowly began going through them, sorting them into piles of papers she would keep, papers she would throw away, and papers that belonged to MACUSA.

She and Newt had been working quietly for about half an hour when a tap on the door made them look up. President Picquery was standing in the doorway.

"Madam President!" Tina exclaimed, scrambling to her feet.

"Hello, Goldstein," she smiled. "Scamander. I heard that you were back and I thought I'd come down and see if you really were."

"Yes, we arrive about a week ago," Tina explained.

Newt had gotten to his feet as well, dusting his hands on his pants.

"Your mission?" Picquery asked.

Tina shook her head. "It was a disaster. I couldn't find out anything about Credence's history. The only lead I had turned out to be a dead end."

"And the boy?"

Tina bowed her head. "Grindelwald. He -- he joined Grindelwald."

Picquery's face didn't change but there was a flicker of some emotion in her eyes. "Willingly?" she asked.

"Yes. He believed that Grindelwald could t-tell him who he was."

"I see," Picquery said. "Ah, well." She glanced around the room. "What's going on in here?"

"Oh, right." Tina rummaged around for the envelope. Then she moved around the desk and handed it to Picquery. "I'm resigning. I'm moving to London."

Picquery looked startled but she opened the envelope and scanned the letter inside. Then she looked up, glancing at Newt before turning her gaze to study Tina.

"I see," she said slowly. The letter didn't explain much but Tina knew she understood more than it said. "Congratulations."

Newt and Tina blushed slightly.

"Well, Miss Goldstein, it was an honor to have you working for MACUSA. You were one of the best Aurors. We'll miss you."

She turned to leave. Then she stopped, turning around.

"What happened to your sister?" she asked. "One day she didn't show up to work and we haven't seen her since."

Tina's face fell. Newt moved over to her, resting his hand on her back. She was fighting back tears, but it was a losing battle. She quickly reached up to wipe her eyes. 

"She -- She's in Europe, I suppose, w-with Credence," Tina managed. It was the closest she could come to saying that Queenie had joined Grindelwald but Picquery understood.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she murmured. She stepped towards Tina, resting her hand on the younger woman's upper arm. "I can't imagine how you must be feeling, I never had any siblings. I know this must be hard for you, but you're a strong woman, Tina, and I think I know enough about your sister to know she'll see her mistake soon enough."

Tina nodded wordlessly. Picquery stepped back. "Goodbye, Miss Goldstein, Mr. Scamander."

Newt nodded and she left the room. He turned slightly and pulled his fiancée into a hug. 

"We might want to get back to work," he murmured presently.

Tina nodded and they slowly moved to get back to their work.

 

About half a week later, everything in both the office and the apartment had been packed in boxes, neatly labeled and stacked in Newt's case. Newt had bought tickets to return to London and Tina had explained to Mrs. Esposito that neither she nor Queenie would be returning.

Tina stood in the apartment, looking around. The only thing left was the furniture. None of it held any significance so there was no reason to bring it. She let out a shaky sigh.

"It's gonna be okay," Newt murmured, approaching her.

She turned to face him. "I know. It's just-- I grew up here. I've spent practically my whole life in this apartment."

Newt gave her a hug. "It's time to go," he murmured.

Tina nodded and took one last look around at the apartment she had grown up in and would never see again. Then she followed Newt out of the room, shutting the door behind her.


	50. Epilogue

Newt stood at the front of the church, nervously shifting his feet. It had been about three weeks since they had returned from New York and they had quickly made arrangements for a small wedding. Their only guests were Jacob, Nagini, Theseus, Bunty, and Dumbledore. The five of them were sitting on the front row of the church, waiting for Tina to show up.

Tina herself was hovering just behind the doorway. She was nervous. She could see Newt standing at the altar, his head bowed slightly. He looked incredibly handsome, dressed in a grey suit with a deep blue bowtie.

She loved him so much, more than anything in the world, and she couldn't believe they were about to get married. She couldn't believe _she_ was about to get married. She had never thought she would. Queenie had always been the one men liked. And yet here she was, standing in a simple, white dress, holding a bouquet of white and blue roses, about to walk down the aisle and marry Newt Scamander.

Tina took a deep breath and stepped into the doorway.

Newt looked up and let out a quiet gasp. Tina was beautiful. She was wearing a floor-length dress with sleeves that came half-way down her forearms. There was nothing fancy about it, but it was perfect for her. Her short hair was in soft waves and a portion of it was held back by an elaborate silver clip. She had on very little makeup, just enough to highlight her best features.

He stared at her as she approached him, joining him at the altar. Her bouquet was set aside and they joined hands as the ceremony started. They were both struggling not to cry as they said their vows and exchanged rings. The minister declared them husband and wife. Newt pulled Tina closer to him, pressing a gentle kiss to her lips.

 

When the wedding was over, Newt and Tina returned to his house . . . their house. Jacob and Nagini had insisted on spending the next two weeks at Hogwarts and had returned with Dumbledore. 

As the newlyweds reached the front door, Newt scooped his new wife up into his arms and carried her into the house. She laughed, pressing a kiss to his lips.

"I love you, Mr. Scamander," she murmured into the kiss.

"And I love you, Mrs. Scamander," he replied.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And this is the end of this book. I hope you all enjoyed it.
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't have another book ready to publish here. I'm still working on one and once it's finished and edited (kinda edited) I'll post it here. But, if you don't want to wait, you can always go to Wattpad and read what I've written so far, as well as some of the other things I've written and that I'm not posting here.


End file.
